The Malevolent Dr Maestro!
by Mahler Avatar
Summary: Kim and Ron try to foil a musical supervillain's plans for world domination. Pre-StD action sitch with more than a note or two of musical humor.
1. Introduction

A/N: This story takes place just before STD, and I plan to keep it in the spirit of a classic KP episode. Count on an update every Friday until it reaches the grand finale. But as the saying goes, it's not over until the fat lady sings ... And fair warning: with a villainous musician on the loose, musical gags and puns will abound!

Standard disclaimer: Kim Possible is owned by the Disney Corp, but any new characters are entirely my own problem. And if you leave me a review, you'll get a reply. What a nice guy!

* * *

It was a beautiful but exceptionally warm Friday afternoon at Middleton High. Through hooded eyes, Kim Possible sleepily gazed at Mr. Barkin as his lecture on Gregorian chant droned on. He had taken over the Music History class when Ms. Terpsichore was injured in that freak harpsichord accident only the month before. But this warm weather was much more conducive to drowsiness than to Kim's usual attentive demeanor. With both elbows on her desk, her chin rested wearily in the palms of her hands as she thought back to the previous night's events.

"_Ooh, that mission last night lasted way too long. And pulling that all-nighter to catch up on mid-terms the night before last sure didn't help matters any. At least Drakken and Shego are both headed back to Cell Block D now, so I'll be able to catch up on some Z's this afternoon as soon as I get home._"

Bonnie Rockwaller was likewise bored stiff by Mr. Barkin's dry lecture, and busied herself by filing her nails. Even half-asleep, Kim couldn't help but draw a comparison between Bonnie and Shego, remembering how the villainess also enjoyed giving herself a manicure and filing her claws to a razor-sharp point.

"_Hmm. One more thing that snarky Bonnie has in common with my arch-enemy. I wouldn't be surprised if they were related somehow…_"

For his part, Ron busied himself by absentmindedly staring out the window. He noticed that the school's marquee now read, "_March Into March! Let The Band Put Some Spring Into Your Spring._" Through the open window, he could hear the Middleton High Marching Band drilling intensely in preparation for the competition that weekend between Upperton, Middleton and Lowerton. He sighed as he thought, "_Man, I thought becoming the Mad Dog Mascot would make me a lot more popular with the ladies, but it hasn't quite worked out that way. But maybe that would change if I joined the band, with those badical new uniforms of theirs ... Hmm, I wonder if they have an opening for a spoon player?_"

Oblivious to his class's inattention, Mr. Barkin blathered on. "And so it was Pope Gregory I that first instituted what we now call the Gregorian chant, and was the first music to be notated into a system which would become the ancestor of our own modern musical notation, consisting of …"

Mr. Barkin stopped in mid-sentence as Kim's head slipped from her palms and onto her desk with a loud thump. She jerked up with a start, instantly awake and aware of every eye in the class focused on her. An undercurrent of laughter rippled through the classroom.

Barkin shot her a stern glance as he growled through clenched teeth, "Well, _Miss Possible_, are we keeping you up past your beddy-bye time? Perhaps I should be lecturing on the _Brahms Lullaby_ instead?"

Kim blushed bright red as she stumbled out an apology. "Uh, no, Mr. Barkin. Sorry, late-night mission last night. I promise to stay awake."

Mercifully, the afternoon bell rang at that moment, dismissing the class and rescuing the young cheerleader and world saver from any further embarrassment.

As the class filed out, Ron commented, "Boy, that was close, Kim. Another few seconds and you might have earned a one-way ticket to detention hall. I thought that the Ronman was the only one who could pull something like that!"

Kim yawned, "So not the drama, Ron. But I'm sure glad that I dodged _that_ particular bullet. Anyway, it's nothing a quick nap won't fix."

"So, how about Bueno Nacho at seven? They've got a muy bueno special on their bean and cheese guacamole wraps!"

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket and chirruped in anticipation. "_Mmm! Guacamole and cheese!_"

Kim turned a shade paler at the thought of any kind of food that she might accidentally fall asleep in, but decided that after a short siesta she'd be much more up to it. "Sure, Ron. Catch ya then."

As soon as she got home and her head hit the pillow, she was out like the proverbial light. As she drifted off, her exhausted mind began to combine the events of the past 24 hours into a strange dream. Drakken and Shego were proceeding slowly through a dim cathedral, both wearing dark brown ecclesiastical robes. Holding candles before them to light their way, they were intoning _Lather, Rinse and Obey_ in the style of a Gregorian chant. Following immediately behind them, a similarly clad Ron and Rufus slowly chanted a verse of _The Naked Mole Rap_.

A loud _beep-beep-BEE-beep_ startled her back to consciousness. Thankful to be awakened from her bizarre reverie, she tapped the button on her Kimmunicator.

Sleepily she answered, "Hey, Wade. What's the sitch?"

The pre-teen genius and keeper of her website appeared on the tiny screen. "Hey, Kim, you just got a hit on your site. The local music store is asking for your help in solving an unusual theft."

Now fully awake, she replied, "What, Magnificent Max's Music Mart? Sure, I'm happy to help, but this sounds more like a job for the police. Has he contacted the local authorities yet?"

"Well, he did, but they couldn't find any clues. No signs of a break-in and no fingerprints, so they don't have anything to go on. But he's positive that there's some expensive equipment missing."

Kim wondered who might be behind the theft. "Well, could it be an inside job?"

"Not likely, since Magnificent Max is the sole owner and proprietor. His only employee was on vacation in Hawaii when the theft occurred, and Magnificent Max has the only set of keys to the shop. Airtight alibi, Kim."

"Curiouser and curiouser, Wade. Not exactly a secret research facility, but if the police are stumped, maybe I can help somehow. I'll give Ron a call and we'll check it out."

She clicked off and immediately called Ron.

He picked right up. "Hey, KP! Enjoy your little snooze?"

"Yeah, Ron. There's been a theft at the music store right next to Club Banana. Can you meet me there in fifteen?"

Ron grinned back. "Wow, two missions in two days? Sounds coolio, KP! Looks like business is picking up. See you in a few."

As she hung up, she muttered, "Well, this sitch doesn't seem _all_ that unusual so far. And yet …"

As the dream of Drakken's weird chant faded from her mind, she couldn't quite escape the bad feeling she was getting about where all this might lead. Nevertheless, she just tried to shrug it off, and took a deep breath to clear her mind as she left her room. The siren call of a new mission beckoned.

_**TBC ...**_


	2. Exposition

_Thanks to CajunBear 73, Katsumara, campy, Sentinel103, Muzzlehatch, Mr. Wizard and Slipgate for reviewing, and everyone for reading. And an honorable mention to Eddy 13 and MrDrP for some 411 on Ron's scooter._

_If you feel so inclined, leave a review and get a reply! And now back to our program, already in progress..._

* * *

Kim bounded down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her mom, Anne Possible, was busy preparing dinner, while her dad James was relaxing at the kitchen table, perusing the evening paper. Anne could immediately tell that Kim was in mission mode.

"Staying for dinner, Kimmie? I'm making some special recipes to try out on you guys tonight, since it's theme day at the hospital's interdepartmental potluck this weekend. We're having beef liver, kidney pie, and I'm even making some haggis."

Kim gagged, "Eww! A sheep's liver, heart and lung cooked in its own stomach?" She turned up her nose at the offer. "No thanks, Mom. Reminds me too much of my run-ins with Duff Killigan."

James lowered his paper. With a similar look of apprehension he commented, "Dear, I think I have to agree with Kimmie-cub on this. What about that brain loaf you made last time? That was mighty tasty."

"Well, I was just trying out something new tonight, but come to think of it, I just might have some of that brain loaf left in the freezer."

She quickly found it, unwrapping the tinfoil just as Kim's mischievous brothers Jim and Tim walked in.

Jim declared excitedly, "Hey, check it out! _Brain freeze!_"

Tim laughed, but suddenly crinkled up his nose. "P.U.! What's smelling up the place?"

Anne raised her hands in mock surrender. "Ok, everyone, you win. No haggis tonight."

Jim raised a hand. "Hicka-bicka-boo?"

Tim gave his brother a high-five. "Hoo-sha!"

Relieved at the menu change, Kim turned to her father. "Can I borrow the car real quick, Dad? Just a quick trip down to the music store."

"Developing an interest in the arts, Kimmie-cub? That's my girl!"

Kim rolled her eyes. "So not, Dad. Just a little mission to investigate a theft."

"Ooh. Well, I'm sure you won't be just … _fiddling_ around!" Proud of his little pun, he gave her a friendly wink as he handed her the car keys.

She grimaced. "Good one, Dad." Hoping to avoid any more lame jokes, she raced to the car.

Fifteen minutes later, Kim pulled into a parking space at the Middleton Mall. She had just stepped out of the car just when a loud roar was heard. A scooter zoomed up, screeching to a halt right next to her in a cloud of blue smoke.

Ron took off his helmet and proudly said, "Hey, Kim! Felix and I just finished souping up my wheels with a bon-diggety upgrade. Now I can go scorching across the blacktop like there's no tomorrow!"

Kim coughed and tried to wave away the smell of burning rubber. "Just spankin', Ron. But if you keep driving like that, there _will _be no tomorrow. You're just asking for trouble."

"Hey, the Ronster is all about the trouble! So what's the sitch, KP?"

"Well, that's what we're here for. Let's find out."

Kim and Ron walked into the entrance of Magnificent Max's Music Mart. They couldn't help but spot Max, dressed in a gaudy suit and purple tie. He immediately recognized Kim and rushed up to shake her hand.

"Miss Possible! Thank you so much for coming. The police weren't able to discover any clues, but perhaps you might be able to find something that they missed."

Kim gave a small shrug and replied, "Well, we'll do our best and see what we can find, Mr., uh, Max."

"Just Max will do," he smiled back ingratiatingly. "Come, let me show you what's missing."

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket and began sniffing around the store. As soon as he entered the storeroom, his body stiffened and he lifted one paw as his tail stuck out straight behind him, exactly like a pointer. His nose was aimed directly at several large empty boxes near the back door.

Ron beamed in approval of his faithful friend's keen observation. "Rufus, mah man! What have you found, little buddy?"

Kim inspected the boxes, which had apparently been ripped open in haste. "So, Max, what exactly is missing?"

Max heaved a sad sigh. "A shipment of twelve miniature amplifiers, brand new and state of the art. Each is more powerful than one ten times its size. Oh, and twelve of my newest line of metronomes as well."

"Metro gnomes?" Ron shuddered. "Like, uh, lawn gnomes, but meant for city use?"

Kim giggled. "No, Ron. Metronomes provide a steady audible beat, so a musician knows how fast or slow to play."

"Oh, yeah! Like this?" Ron began giving a rap beat, Rufus immediately dancing along in time to the rhythm.

"Uh, cool the beat, Mr. Music. At least until we can figure this sitch out."

She took a close look at the back door. "Max, do you have any idea when the theft happened? And could this door have been left unlocked somehow?"

Max shook his head. "No, Miss Possible. I locked the door and set the alarm myself last night when I left, just after 9 PM."

Kim tapped her chin. "Hmm. Well, that rules out Drakken and Shego as suspects, at least. Ron and I were chasing them down at just that moment."

She inspected the lock, which didn't appear tampered with. "Can this door be opened by anything other than a physical key?"

Max nodded. "Yes, I've got an electronic key as well."

Ron perked up. "Ooh! Like the key that opens my dad's sedan?" He did a perfect imitation of an electronic key unlocking a car door.

Kim gave Ron a pained look as she turned back to Max. "So, do you know what frequency it uses?"

"No, only the lock maker knows that. But if someone _did_ discover the exact frequency, they'd be able to open the door without any problem. However, they'd still have to bypass the alarm somehow. And I'm sure it never went off, or else the security guard here at the mall would have reported it."

Kim stepped out the door and took a close look at the alarm. It also didn't look like anyone had tampered with it, but she had a hunch. Squatting down she asked, "A little favor, Rufus? Can you take a look inside it and see if you find anything unusual, please and thank you?"

Rufus nodded and quickly scrambled up the wall and into the alarm. He immediately gave a little squeak of surprise, reappearing with a tiny electronic device that had been left behind. The alarm bell immediately went off.

As Max rushed to shut it off, Kim smiled and said, "Good little Rufus! And for your reward, extra cheese for you tonight at Bueno Nacho!"

Rufus excitedly replied, "_Mmmm! Cheeese!_"

Kim turned the small device over in her hand. "Well, here's how the thief disabled the alarm. And if he could do that, there's no doubt he also knew the lock's frequency, too. But why steal just those particular things? And why exactly twelve of each?"

Max shrugged. "Other than what they could be sold for? I don't know, Miss Possible. But if the thief was only looking for items to fence for some quick cash, that doesn't make any sense. I have much more expensive equipment here in my store than what he took."

"Well, let's see if this thing can provide us with any other clues."

Kim activated her Kimmunicator. "Hey, Wade. Rufus found the device that was used to disarm Magnificent Max's alarm system. Can you scan it and tell me anything about it?"

"Sure, Kim. Just hold it next to your Kimmunicator."

A soft blue light appeared and enveloped the device in its glow. In a few moments Wade had the results.

"Uh oh, Kim. This is a standard HenchCo alarm disabler, no question. It even has the HenchCo logo and a serial number etched inside it. Unfortunately, I can't find any fingerprints on it other than yours."

He chuckled as he continued, "But I _did_ detect some drool on it from a naked mole rat."

Rufus offered a quick apology. "_Oops! Sorree!_"

A frown appeared on Kim's face. "That's so not good news, Wade. This means we're up against more than just our garden-variety thief. Can you do a quick check on our usual suspects?"

"Sure, Kim." Wade's expert fingers flew over his keyboard. After a few moments, his frown deepened.

"Sorry, Kim. As you know, Drakken and Shego are in jail, as well as DNAmy. Chester Yapsby's trial hasn't started yet, but the judge _did _deny his bail."

Kim cocked an eyebrow. "You mean the guy with the giant cockroaches? But why?"

Wade snorted. "Flight risk."

Ron sniffed and bewailed, "Roachie, we hardly knew ye …"

Kim suggested, "Well, how about anyone who's not in the slammer?"

"It looks like neither of the Seniors have left their island for several weeks now, and I've also confirmed that Dr. Dementor is still in Bavaria, Monkey Fist is presently somewhere in India, and Duff Killigan is currently on a golf tour in the Caribbean."

Kim scratched her chin in thought. "Since the stolen stuff is electronic, what about the Bebes?"

Wade shook his head. "Not really their style, Kim. Besides, they haven't been rebuilt since your last run-in with them."

Ron suggested, "Uh, how about Falsetto Jones?"

Wade typed in his name. "Nope, recovering from rabies. Dog bite."

Ron winced. "Ouch. But poetically justicey."

Kim suggested, "How about Motor Ed, or Frugal Lucre?"

Wade checked a little further, and nearly burst out laughing. "Kim, get this! Frugal Lucre is currently recovering in the infirmary at the state penitentiary with a broken arm, and Motor Ed is in solitary confinement for causing the injury. I guess Lucre just annoyed Ed a little too much and pushed him over the edge. Seriously!"

Kim and Ron both smiled at the news, but they also realized that their list of likely suspects was growing shorter by the minute.

Kim surmised, "Well, we're probably dealing with a brand new villain then. So it looks like I'll need to check with HenchCo directly and see if I can't get them to 'fess up as to who's responsible. But whoever our musical bad guy is, we still need to figure out his plan before he has a chance to act on it."

Wade snickered, "_Sounds_ like a good plan, Kim. If I _hear_ about anything else, I'll let you know. And I'm sure you'll eventually catch the crook and make him … _face the music!_"

Kim groaned, "Now you're sounding just like my Dad. But corny jokes aside, you rock, Wade. Thanks."

She closed her Kimmunicator and turned to Max. "Don't worry, we'll find the thief somehow. In the meantime, may we keep this alarm disabler? It may still provide us with some clues."

Max nodded. "Of course, Miss Possible. I appreciate anything you can do to help."

As soon as Team Possible left the store, Kim checked her Kimmunicator for a long-unused number and pressed the autodial. After a few rings, a smartly dressed businessman appeared on the tiny screen, a stripe of dark grey adorning the top of his jet-black hair.

"HenchCo, and how may I help …"

His smarmy smile faded as soon as he recognized Kim, but his oily demeanor remained. "Ah, Miss Possible. What an unexpected surprise. And to what do I owe the pleasure of your call?"

Kim cagily answered, "Hello, Mr. Hench. I thought you might be able to identify a particular item for me."

She held up the alarm disabler. Jack slightly raised an eyebrow, the only indication that he knew exactly what it was. He stroked his chin in mock thought.

"Well, I can't say that it looks familiar."

Kim grinned back slyly as she thought, "_Hmm. Can't, or won't?_"

With a touch of sarcasm she replied, "Oh, really? The markings inside of it indicate that HenchCo made it. Are you _sure_ this doesn't ring a bell?" Her voice darkened slightly. "Or perhaps an _alarm_?"

Jack's face began to flush as he made a mental note to speak with his manufacturing department about stamping the HenchCo logo inside of their merchandise.

"Uh, on second thought, perhaps it _does_ bear a slight resemblance to one of our products. Why do you ask, if I may inquire?"

Kim replied with a self-satisfied smirk, "There was a theft at a local music store last night. I thought you might recall selling a device like this recently, and tell us exactly who bought it."

Jack shook his head. "Sorry, Miss Possible. Client confidentiality and all that. I'm sure you understand."

Kim however wasn't about to give up so easily. She continued as charmingly as she could, "Now, Jack, if you remember, I helped recover some of _your_ stolen property a while back. I just thought I might give you a chance to reciprocate a little. That is, _before_ the local police come knocking at HenchCo's door with a search warrant?"

A frown appeared on Jack's face. "Well, that's a chance I'm willing to take, Miss Possible." A smile just as quickly reappeared as he reached to disconnect the call. "But thanks for the heads up, nevertheless. So if you'll excuse me, I have some pressing business to attend to …"

And with that, he hung up. Kim let out a small huff of disappointment.

"Well, it was worth a try. So, now on to Plan B."

Ron grinned back, "B as in breaking and entering, maybe? _Booyah!_"

Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket and gave him a conspiratorial wink.

"You got it, Ron. No way are we going to let HenchCo off the hook, especially with the evidence right in our hands. And as soon as we discover the identity of our mystery thief, we can celebrate with some Bueno Nacho."

Rufus began chattering as he rubbed his paws together in glee, vigorously nodding his head in agreement.

Ron gave a polite flourish of his arm. "After you, KP."

Team Possible was on the move.

**_TBC ..._**


	3. Surreptitious Interlude

_Thanks to CajunBear73, Eddy13, Katsumara, Sentinel103, BigO0070, campy and Mr. Wizard for reviewing, and to all for reading. Remember, leave a review and I'll send a reply. And I'm getting pretty good about responding quicker than I have in the past!_

_Now let's see what kind of 'treble'__ Team Possible can get themselves into ..._

* * *

By the time Kim and Ron arrived at HenchCo, twilight had given way to night. They cautiously approached the building, senses on high alert for any guards, as well as any automatic sensors or alarms.

Ron pondered, "Wow, I wonder if they have any automatic lasers or Spinning Tops of Doom?"

Kim shushed him. "Loud much? Stealth means quiet, Ron. This place is so high tech that they may have audio detectors too."

She let out a soft sigh. "And besides, I don't think they need any of your bright ideas. Remember what happened the _last_ time you gave someone a suggestion like that?"

Ron grimaced. "Yeah, I remember. I managed to accidentally turn a shady businessman and his wannabe superstar son into supervillains. Man, why can't I come up with some coolio weapons just like they did?"

Kim's jaw dropped. "What? You want to become a _supervillain_? What's your damage, Ron?"

Ron quickly backpedaled. "No, no, KP! Not the villainy part, I just like the weapons! _Bweeoo, pow, pow!_"

"I'm relieved to hear that," Kim sighed. "For a moment there I thought you were having a Zorpox flashback."

She muttered something under her breath about boys and their toys as she pulled out her pair of infra-red goggles. "First I'll check for any _actual_ lasers that could set off an alarm."

She looked around, immediately spotting several beams protecting all the doors and windows. They were much too close together for anyone to get through without triggering the alarm. She figured that Rufus might be able to squeeze through, but then he'd have to find a way to shut off the power, which might alert someone to their presence anyway.

Kim frowned. "Well, it looks like we'll be entering by the roof tonight."

She pulled out her grappling gun cleverly disguised as a hair dryer, courtesy of Wade. Firing it at the roof, it caught the ledge, and she began scaling the wall. Ron did likewise with his own grappling gun, but failed to notice that the grappling wire was accidentally hooked to his pants. With a huge ripping sound, the grappling hook and his pants were launched at the roof of HenchCo. Rufus, still in Ron's pants, enjoyed the exhilarating rush of air by his head as he flew toward HenchCo's roof.

"_Wheeee!"_

Cushioned by Ron's ripped trousers, he made a soft landing right next to the ledge.

"_I'm_ _ohhh-kaay!_" he squealed, quickly attaching the hook to the ledge and giving it a tug to let Ron know it was securely attached.

Ron was relieved. "That's because you have the best _seat_ in the house, Rufus!"

Kim winced at Ron's pun as she continued climbing the wall, muttering to herself, "It's going to be a _long_ night …"

His boxers flapping in the cool evening breeze, Ron also began scaling the wall, quickly catching up with Kim. Once on the roof, Kim used her laser lipstick case to cut through the screen covering one of the air vents while Ron retrieved Rufus and his pants. Soon they were all inside, stealthily searching for Jack Hench's office. Using a map of HenchCo downloaded from Wade's computer, they found the office with no problem, but immediately ran into a new complication.

"Oh, great," Kim griped. "Another alarm."

Ron immediately perked up. "Ooh, Kim! You still have that alarm disabler?"

Kim grinned back in appreciation. "Good idea, Ron. Turnabout's fair play I think, with a little dash of irony. Rufus, would you do the honors?"

Rufus shook his tiny head in the affirmative as he grabbed the proffered device and squeezed into the alarm box. A moment later his head popped back out as he quietly whispered, "_Okee-dokee!"_

Kim tried the door, but found that it was locked. Rufus angrily chattered something unintelligible as he crawled back into the alarm. A moment later, a short buzz was heard and a tiny puff of smoke escaped from a crack in the door. Kim tried it again, and this time it easily swung open. The electric locking mechanism's wire now dangled uselessly from the latch, having just been chewed through by Rufus' powerful teeth. He popped out of the lock with a cheerful smile.

"_Tah-dah!"_ he exclaimed with a flourish of his tiny arms.

"Good job, Rufus! Now let's see what we can find out about our mystery thief."

Kim quietly activated her Kimmunicator and whispered, "Okay, Wade, we're in. Now, how do we access Hench's computer?"

"No problem, Kim."

Wade cracked his knuckles and quickly entered a command into his own computer. A tiny flexible metal arm appeared out of the Kimmunicator, plugging itself into the computer's USB port. Menus began flashing by on the computer screen, finally stopping on HenchCo's accounting icon. Wade clicked on it, bringing up the accounts receivable tree. He inputted the serial number of the alarm disabler and hit the enter key.

"Here we go …"

A file immediately popped up, accompanied by a photo.

Kim's eyes went wide with delight. "Well, here's our thief."

The picture revealed a rather foreboding figure, a man stylishly dressed in a tuxedo with tails. He was brandishing a conductor's baton like a weapon, and wore the requisite villainous black mask. He had a wild look in his eyes, and a crop of unruly hair topped his head, shot through with streaks of premature gray. The caption beneath the photo indicated the villain's suitably evil _non de plume_.

"Dr. Maestro?" Kim exclaimed.

Ron whined, "Man, don't we have _enough_ evil doctors that we're battling already, KP? I wonder if he wants to take over the world, or just has an obsession with formal wear?"

Ron cocked his head as he recalled something. "Ooh, which reminds me, Kim. I should think about getting a tux for the Junior Prom. Well, as soon as I find someone to go with, that is. Which means I guess I have to ask someone first. Say, is Tara still going out with Jason Morgan, or is she available? Maybe you could ask her for me the next time we have cheer practice. Then I won't have to risk embarrassment city just in case she …"

Kim interrupted his stream of consciousness. "Focus, Ron. We're on a mission here, remember? No time for any daydreams of the dating kind until we figure out what Dr. Maestro's villainish angle is."

As Kim turned back to study the file, Ron began to wonder if Tara was really his best choice for the prom. Besides, he had already missed his chance with her through his own cluelessness, only finding out about her crush on him after it was too late. And ironically, by that time she had already started dating Kim's former crush, Josh Mankey.

"_But Kim on the other hand …"_

He didn't remember her spilling about any date to the prom yet, so maybe, just maybe …

His reverie was interrupted by Kim's announcement, "Looks like the only info listed here is his HenchCo account number, his credit card info, a PO Box number and a list of his purchases."

Topping the list was the alarm disabler. She took a closer look at the invoice, which also included twelve radio transmitters.

"Hmm, there's that magic number twelve again. I'm sure that's something important, but first we have to get an ID on this guy. Wade, can you …"

"Already on it, Kim. Cross-referencing his photo with all known criminal databases."

After a few moments, he frowned. "Sorry, Kim, no matches there. Maybe he's brand new to the villain business."

He swiftly inputted some new parameters into his computer.

"I'm checking all known musical organizations as well as any academic databases online, and … got it! His real name is Dulcimer Q. Crumhorn. It looks like he was recently fired by the North By Northwest Symphony for stabbing a violinist in the arm with his baton. And he was dismissed last month from his teaching position at the University of Northern South Dakota at Minnehaha for threatening a student with the Carmen treatment."

Kim queried, "The Carmen treatment?"

"Yeah, Carmen gets stabbed at the end of the opera of the same name."

Kim shuddered. "Great. So we have a mad orchestra conductor with an anger management problem. Now, how do we find him?"

Wade did another search. "His last known physical address was in Denver, but that doesn't match his PO Box, which is right here in Middleton."

"Well, _that's_ just spankin'. So why is he in Middleton all of a sudden?" Kim wondered.

Wade grinned, "Other than the fact he was born here? At least according to his personnel file at the U of NSD at M."

Ron spoke up. "Ooh! I'll bet he has some kind of cool lair real close by, and maybe protected by Spinning Batons of Doom!"

Kim barely had time to roll her eyes before Wade excitedly continued, "Whoa, Kim! Look at this! I think I've found him on Facebooked. His HenchCo portrait exactly matches the one on his homepage."

Kim and Ron quickly reviewed Dr. Maestro's profile. Kim gasped as she read his likes and dislikes section.

"His likes are evil, classical music, and taking over the world. His dislikes are lazy students, and people who get in the way of his plans for world domination. I think that cinches it, Wade! Now if we can just discover his current whereabouts, we'll be able to …"

She stopped mid-sentence as she and Ron heard a sound just outside the door.

Kim hissed, "Gotta go, Wade. Trouble."

They quickly hid behind the desk just as the door swung open. A man entered, clothed in coveralls and wearing a HenchCo cap. He carried a large trash bag with him as he listened to his portable MP3 player.

"The janitor?" whispered Ron.

Kim quietly answered, "And he'll probably want to empty this." She looked down at the wastebasket right beside them.

As the janitor began to walk around the desk, they were now only moments away from being spotted. Ron, still hidden from view, quickly grabbed the wastebasket and held it around the corner of the desk. The janitor's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but he nevertheless accepted the proffered wastebasket and emptied the contents into his trash bag.

"Thanks." He handed the container back into Ron's waiting hand, where it disappeared behind the desk.

"Don't mention it," Ron replied.

The janitor simply shrugged as he left the office, closing the door behind him. Kim exhaled in relief at their close call.

"Ron, don't do that again, please and thank you?"

With a carefree shrug, Ron grinned back, "Well, it worked, didn't it?"

Rufus giggled as Kim bit back her sharp reply, suddenly realizing that thanks to Ron's ploy, they were still apparently undiscovered.

Kim relented a little and agreed, "You're right, Ron, it did. That was quick thinking."

A smile returned to her face as he pumped his arm in victory. "Ah-booyah!"

"C'mon, Ron. Let's get out of here before somebody _really_ spots us."

Pleased that his little ruse had kept them safe for the moment, he returned to his earlier daydream about the upcoming prom.

_"__Yeah, Kim and I have always made a good team, and we've been best buds forever, so maybe I should think about asking her to the prom. Unless she has someone else in mind, which would make asking her really awkweird for our friendship. So I guess it'll just have to wait till later..."_

As they all beat a hasty retreat, everyone's spirits were buoyed by their successful mission. They had discovered the identity of their new villain _du __jour,_ and with Wade's help, they would no doubt locate him quickly. Now if they could only find him before it was too late.

* * *

_**Coming up next week: The March of Doom!**_


	4. March of Doom

_My thanks to all who have reviewed so far: Eddy13, Katsumara, CajunBear 73, campy, Mr. Wizard, MrDrP, BigO0070 and LTAOZFAN, as well as all who continue to follow my little musical offering. And don't be afraid to respond with a review on how you think I'm doing: my Bach is worse than my bite! __(insert collective groan here ...)_

* * *

Kim and Ron settled in at their usual table at Bueno Nacho. Rufus lost no time in immediately digging into his guacamole wrap with the promised extra cheese.

"Well, Ron, that went pretty well, in spite of almost getting caught. Now we have the thief's name as well as a lead on where to start looking for our new mad villain."

Ron took a huge bite out of his Naco and swallowed it with a self-satisfied gulp. "Yeah, he looked pretty mad alright, KP. I just _knew_ that guy had to have been a music teacher. I'd recognize that look anywhere! His picture looked just like Mr. Barkin in one of his bon-diggety moods."

Kim nodded in agreement as she nibbled at her salad. "So, now we've got a villain with a classical music fixation who wants to take over the world."

Ron sighed, "Yeah, I guess we were about due for one, KP."

She laughed as a thought struck her. "I just hope we can keep him away from Junior. If those two got together, that just might be so the drama, literally!"

Ron disagreed. "Nah, I think Junior would drive him bonkers first with his singing. Hey, come to think of it, maybe we _should_ try to get them together. You know what they say about an irretrievable force and an immutable object."

"Ron, that's an _irresistible_ force and an _immovable _object, but point taken. They'd probably short circuit each other's plans before long and save the world a whole lot of trouble."

Pleased with his insight but still clueless about his own grammar, he exclaimed, "The Ronster shoots, and scores!"

As he downed the last of his Naco, he wondered, "So, what do you think Dr. Maestro's up to with all those electronic gizmos?"

"No doubt something really evilish. But I'm sure we won't have long to wait. In the meantime, I'll have Wade check out his postal records and get his actual physical address. And since he fancies himself a supervillain, we'll just have to pay him a little visit and encourage him to spill about his evil plans for world domination."

"Yep, a little preempt-o strike-o would be badical, Kim. Then we can …"

His sentence faded off as a deep, rhythmic ticking began.

"Uh, KP, what's that noise?"

Rufus suddenly looked very scared and dove back into Ron's pocket.

"I don't know, Ron." She listened a little more closely. "But it definitely sounds like music. And at this time of night, that can't be good."

What sounded like a marching band could be heard in the distance, keeping perfect time along with the rhythmic vibration which was now steadily increasing.

"KP, that kinda sounds like our high school band. But it's nearly midnight, and they wouldn't be practicing this late, would they? They've got one ginormous competition tomorrow."

The music continued to increase in volume.

"You're right, Ron. I've got a real bad feeling about this."

Kim punched the call button on her Kimmunicator. "Wade, developing sitch. Listen to this."

The computer genius listened intently as he began furiously typing into his computer. "Yeah, Kim, I'm picking it up now too. And so is the Middleton Seismological Institute. They've just reported powerful seismic waves centered near the bridge over the Middleton River."

"Can you give us the 411 on what that music is?"

With a few more deft inputs into his computer, Wade announced, "Got it, Kim. It's the Colonel Bogey March from the movie The Bridge on the River Kwai."

The cheerful whistling of a men's chorus could now be heard accompanying the jaunty march, belying the serious danger of what was about to happen.

Ron gasped, "Kim, that movie was on TV just last night. The bridge gets destroyed at the end! Bad march! _Very bad march!_"

Kim jumped up and raced for the door. "Hurry, Ron! Whatever it is, we've got to stop it quick!"

They all rushed out the door as police sirens began to wail in the distance. They could easily follow the sound of the powerful thrumming from the direction of the bridge, only a few blocks away. As they got closer, they were struck by a terrifying sight. Just ahead, the bridge was shaking violently, its deck rocking back and forth in response to the overwhelming, pulsating beat.

Ron fiercely intoned, "Middleton, we have a problem."

Kim confirmed, "It's the bridge all right, Wade! But I don't see any band, so where's the music coming from?"

The tremendous throbbing of the music had by now become nearly deafening. Rufus popped out of Ron's pocket, sticking some tiny earplugs into his ears in response to the incredibly raucous sound. Even worse, pieces of the bridge's superstructure had begun falling onto the deck below as it continued to shudder furiously with every beat. Kim suddenly realized what Dr. Maestro's diabolical plan was.

"Wade! Dr. Maestro must have discovered the harmonic resonance of the bridge and is trying to destroy it with the sympathetic vibration of that marching! But I still can't tell exactly where the source is!"

Ron pointed below the bridge and yelled out, "Kim! Look!"

In the dim light, they could just make out what looked like boxes of some kind strapped to each of the six support pillars on the left side of the bridge, just a few feet above the waterline.

Kim growled, "I see them, Ron! He must have strapped the stolen metronomes and amplifiers together and activated them with the radio transmitters he bought from HenchCo! And I'll bet there are six more attached to the pillars on the other side! We've got to pull them all off before it's too late!"

The cacophony of ear-splitting sound nearly drowned her out, but Ron nodded that he understood. Kim rushed down the riverbank with Ron and Rufus close behind, but exhaled in frustration as she found no easy way to reach the boxes.

She quickly considered jumping in and swimming out to the pillars, but just as quickly dismissed the idea. Even if she could manage to swim against the swift current, she still wouldn't be able to reach high enough to grab the devices. And with the bridge's deck now swaying dangerously back and forth in time with the music, she'd also risk being hit by falling debris.

"There's no way we can get to them from here! We'll have to rappel down from the pillars!"

She fired a grappling hook at the railing just above the first pillar. Her aim was true and she swiftly swung over, lowering herself to the first device. Ron's shot, however, was off. Way off. In fact, he accidentally managed to snag the tallest structure on the bridge, a pole topped by an aircraft warning beacon.

He let out a yell as he was pulled nearly straight up. "Whoa-oh-_oh!_"

Rufus emerged from his pocket only to realize that they were now suspended nearly 100 feet above the Middleton River. With a squeal of terror, he popped back into the dubious protection of Ron's pocket.

In the meantime, Ron immediately became entranced by the panoramic nighttime view of Middleton from his new vantage point. "Hey, Kim! I can see your house from here!"

His sang-froid quickly changed from wonder to horror when he realized that his grappling cable had gotten wrapped around the support pole, making it impossible for him to use the quick release mechanism and safely lower himself to the deck below.

"Kim, _I'm stuck!_ _HELP!_"

Without a moment's hesitation, she retracted her own cable, pulling herself onto the bridge's wreckage-strewn deck. But as the undulating bridge was now literally being shaken apart, she could barely remain standing. Huge cracks had appeared in the roadway, and enormous chunks of the bridge were now falling into the river below. Gigantic plumes of water shot up, soaking the young heroine to the skin and plastering her auburn hair against her back. In another few moments, the entire bridge would collapse into the river, taking both her and Ron with it.

Realizing this, Ron yelled at the top of his voice, "Save yourself, Kim! I'm not going to make it!"

Rufus again popped out of his pocket and angrily squealed, "_Hey! What about me!_"

Ron moaned, "Sorry little buddy. You've got to save yourself by crawling down the pole. You don't have much time."

Rufus suddenly had a change of heart, grabbing tightly to Ron's sleeve as he decided to stick by his closest friend regardless of the consequences.

"_Not gonna leave you!_"

Below them, bracing cables started snapping as the tortured steel girders groaned ominously. The bridge was now seconds away from destruction.

Kim yelled out, "Hold on, Ron!"

She fired her grapple again, swiftly pulling herself up to where Ron and Rufus were stuck. The pole swung dangerously back and forth as its support began to buckle under the tremendous stress. She held out her free arm.

"Drop, Ron! I'll catch you!"

Ron hesitated. "I don't know about this, Kim!"

He heard a terrific snap from below which finally convinced him to try. He let go, falling into Kim's waiting grasp. Just in time, for the crack they had just heard was the base of the pole breaking off as the entire bridge finally collapsed with a tremendous roar. Quickly using her last grapple as they both fell, she carefully aimed at the top of a signal light just beyond the bridge, and fired.

"_Please don't miss_ …" she silently pleaded.

Their luck held and her aim was perfect, snagging the light and swinging them all to safety, just as the last pieces of the bridge hit the water with a terrific splash.

As they dropped to the safety of firm ground, Ron heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Kim! That was _way_ too close! You okay?"

"Fine, Ron," she panted as she tried to catch her breath after their close call. "Too bad we weren't able to save the bridge though."

Only a few crumbled stumps of concrete and twisted pieces of rebar now remained of the bridge's twelve massive support pillars. The tremendous cacophony of sound that had accompanied the bridge's collapse now gave way to an eerie silence, broken only by the lapping of the river upon the shore and the stunned voices of the police and emergency personnel.

Kim growled, "Well, we were waiting for his next move, and now he's made it. But why? What's the point of destroying the bridge?"

Ron shrugged. "Dunno, KP. Maybe just to show us that he can do it?"

Her Kimmunicator began beeping urgently and a very concerned Wade appeared. "Kim! Listen to this! It's being broadcast on all local TV channels and radio stations!"

A dark but mellifluous voice began to speak. "Good evening, Middleton. This is Dr. Maestro speaking. By now you've probably noticed that the Middleton Bridge is gone, courtesy of the miracle of harmonic resonance and my own, _heh-heh_, musical genius. Now that I've proven my ability, I'm making, shall we say, a _request_ for twelve million dollars. That's one million for every tone in the scale for you pitiful non-musicians out there …"

Ron whispered, "Ooh, KP, he's making it a request, not a demand. At least he's being polite about it."

Kim waved for quiet. "Trying to listen, Ron."

"… and that works out to exactly four million from each high school in this weekend's band competition between Upperton, Middleton and Lowerton. If the money is paid by noon tomorrow, the competition will be allowed to continue with no interference from, _ahem_, yours truly."

His sinister voice darkened in foreboding. "However, if one or more of the schools does _not_ pay the requested amount, that school's band will simply run into, shall we say, insuperable difficulties? And it would be _such _a shame if any of your talented instrumentalists were forced to … _withdraw_."

He began to laugh, his cackle erupting into a full-throated expression of villainous joy.

"Whoa, Kim! He has the evil laugh down perfectly. He must have taken lessons from Señor Senior Senior."

Kim listened with increasing fury, made even more so by her frustrating failure to prevent the bridge's destruction.

With barely controlled rage she declared, "No way! _Nobody_ gets away with that in my town!"

Ron picked up on her anger and tried to think of something to say that would help.

"Well, at least no one was hurt, KP. Besides, we would have needed a lot more time to dismantle those metronome thingies anyway. And remember, Dr. Maestro doesn't know what we know now, and he probably thinks he knows more than we think at the moment, so if he thinks that knowing what we're thinking is going to … uh, well …"

He gave Kim a sheepish look as he stuttered to a stop. "Sorry, Kim. Can I start over?"

Kim returned his look with a wan smile and sighed, "That's all right, Ron. Thanks at least for trying to look on the bright side of Doomsville."

After their frustrating attempt to save the bridge, she appreciated Ron's attempt to cheer her up. Not only that, but she was also relieved that he was correct. No one had been injured in the collapse, since at the first sign of trouble the police had prevented anyone from driving onto the bridge. And with their new intel, they would soon be hot on Dr. Maestro's trail. With Wade's sleuthing and Ron's help, they'd hopefully be able to stop him before he could cause any further trouble.

As they began walking back to Bueno Nacho, she also breathed a deep sigh of relief that both Ron and Rufus were okay after their very close call. Not only was she thankful for Ron's attempt to put a positive spin on this, but he had put his life on the line to try and help, just as he always had. This was only one of the many things she liked about Ron, and she realized that in spite of his faults, his good points far outshone the negative ones. Why else would they have remained such close friends ever since pre-K?

But recently, she had noticed a slight change in him. Usually he seemed just like, well, Ron. But sometimes the way he looked at her, it seemed almost like …

With a sudden flash of insight she thought, "_Could he be crushing on me, just like I did on him during that Moodulator sitch? That was an accident, but maybe now he thinks there's really something there. Especially after that kiss I gave him … He's my best friend, and I'm his too, but … romance of the dating kind? _

Kim's concern ratcheted up another notch, along with a generous dollop of confusion to top it off. "_I know he's a boy, and a friend, but a boyfriend? He's nice, but he's just so … Ron. Then again, maybe I'm just imagining things. If this is so not the drama, I could be opening up one spankin' can of worms by saying anything, and make things more awkweird than they really are."_

She tried to push these thoughts aside, promising herself that she'd think about all this later. Right now they had an important job to do, and that was to capture Dr. Maestro. And with his new threat, they had precious little time in which to do it. As they reached the car, she took out her Kimmunicator. "Wade, is there any way to trace the signal of Maestro's broadcast?"

"Working on it right now, Kim. That broadcast would need a lot of power to override all the local cable, TV and radio stations, and be close enough to a communications nexus in order to achieve that. And I think there's only one place in Middleton that meets those criteria."

With one last keystroke, Wade verified his hunch. He allowed himself a smug smile as he slurped the last of his soda. "Confirmed, Kim. It's the power substation at the foot of Mt. Middleton."

She turned to her ever-faithful sidekick. "Then that's our target, Ron. Let's move!"

* * *

_**Next week ... Von Trapped!**_


	5. The Sound of Evil

_Thanks to all for reading, and to Katsumara, CajunBear 73, Eddy13, campy, readerjunkie, MrDrP, Slipgate and LTAOZFAN for taking the time to review. And now, let the musical mayhem begin! _

* * *

The electrical substation was close by, and Team Possible quickly reached the building. The door was open, a light from inside shining into the darkness like a beacon. Strangely, the strains of music could be heard from within. Kim and Ron exchanged a questioning glance as they carefully entered. The room was dark, save for a spotlight illuminating a small table with a portable CD player on it. From the tinny speakers, children could be heard cheerily singing a selection from the Sound of Music.

_"Doe, a deer, a female deer, ray, a drop of golden sun …"_

Ron looked perplexed. "Uh, KP, I guess that means we've got the right place, but what's with the singing?"

Kim was equally puzzled, but on her guard. "I don't know, Ron, but I've got a feeling Dr. Maestro was expecting us."

The song continued, _"Me, a name, I call myself, Fa, a long, long way to run …"_

Kim froze. "Wait a minute. Who sings this song in the movie?"

Ron replied, "Sorry, KP. I wasn't expecting a musical pop quiz tonight. Any ideas, Rufus?"

The naked mole rat just shrugged his tiny shoulders.

Ron volunteered, "Ooh, Kim! Wasn't it Mary Pippins?"

"Good guess, Ron, and pretty close, actually. I think it was Julia Andrews. But I really meant the kids who sang with her. Weren't they part of a musical family?"

"Um, the Cartridge Family? Maybe the Osmunds? How about the Jackson Four?"

"No, it was …" Kim snapped her fingers. "Now I remember! It was the von Trapp family!"

A look of fear appeared on Ron's face. "Von Trapp?"

Rufus muttered a plaintive "_Uh-oh!_"

All three yelled in unison, "TRAP!"

Before Kim could say 'Jinx, you owe me a soda,' the door slammed, imprisoning them inside the room. The lights went out, plunging them into total darkness as the four note motif of the Beethoven Fifth Symphony thundered out.

Kim growled, "Ron, we've been played."

A screen on the wall activated, revealing the lap of a seated man petting an apparently very uncomfortable white cat.

"A most apropos idiom, Miss Possible. And indeed you have. The hills are definitely alive with the sound of _evil!_" His laughter echoed across the room, only to be cut off by a massive sneeze.

Ron automatically responded, "Gesundheit."

"Thank you. It appears that I'm allergic to … _aah-choo!_ … cat hair."

Kim grinned in irony at the evildoer's choice of a white cat in his attempt to imitate a classic supervillain, but finding himself allergic to the feline instead.

"Dr. Maestro, I presume?" Kim asked drolly.

"Very good, Miss Possible! And welcome to your _doom!_ Ah-ah-_aah_, AAHH-_CHOO!_"

The cat hissed loudly at the villain's vicious sneeze, clawing his hand and shredding his tuxedo pants as it jumped out of his lap. In its haste to escape, the cat also knocked over the video camera, which crashed to the floor. Now all that Kim and Ron could see were Dr. Maestro's feet from a sideways angle.

As Ron sniggered at the ruckus, Kim simply yawned in response. "So not impressed, Dulcimer. I've dealt with villains with much more creative banter than you."

"And less clumsy, too," Ron added. "But then again, there have been a few bad guys we've dealt with that weren't exactly …"

Kim gently cut him off as she continued, "So you'll have to do much better than that if you expect to impress us."

Not to be left out, Rufus added a defiant "_Yeah!_"

Quickly recovering, Dr. Maestro set the camera back up, revealing his mask-covered face.

"Good!" he chuckled, "Very good! I like your spirit, Miss Possible. And I'm also impressed at your resourcefulness at discovering my true identity. I've been studying you for quite some time, and I've chosen _you_ to match wits with as an opponent truly worthy of my genius."

Kim grinned, "A battle of wits? Sorry, but I have a personal rule against fighting with an unarmed man."

Irritated by her clever rejoinder, he snapped back, "You'll be singing a different tune very shortly, Kimberly Ann Possible! And your sarcasm won't do you any good unless you can first pass my _little test_."

Another spotlight winked on, revealing an electronic piano keyboard beneath the view screen.

"Back when I was in college, my music professor would test the class's knowledge of musical repertoire by giving us a quiz he called, Drop the Needle."

With a quizzical look, Ron asked, "Uh, as in haystack?"

This earned him a sneer from Dr. Maestro. "No, you imbecile! The needle of a record stylus, my dim-witted friend."

As he continued, the damaged camera mount slowly began to droop, causing him to bend down in order to keep speaking into the camera.

"The instructor would drop the needle on a random spot on the record, and the students had only a few seconds to identify the musical composition."

Ron angrily shot back, "Well, I can identify your piece in three words: _you're_ _going down, Maestro!_"

The villain chuckled. "Technically that's five words, but I'll let that pass." The camera continued to droop, forcing him to bend ever further down.

"Kimberly Ann, your test today will be, shall we say, a variation on that theme. To begin, one of the piano keys will automatically play and simultaneously light up. You will have five seconds to repeat the note played. An additional note will then be added, and you'll need to play back those two notes. Then three notes, four, and so forth. You must repeat the notes exactly as given until the phrase is complete."

By now the camera had slid nearly to the floor, and Dr. Maestro was now down on all fours as he finished his instructions.

"If you succeed, you'll gain your freedom. If you miss a note, however, you and your friends will be given the shock of your lives, to the tune of 100,000 volts. This _is _a power station, you know."

Ron spoke aside to Kim. "Ooh, that sounds revolting, KP. You'll have to amp up your badical music skills, pronto!"

It was now Dr. Maestro's turn to roll his eyes. Lying on his stomach and looking into the now prone camera, he finished his warning.

"Remember that you'll need to repeat all the notes with no mistakes in order to succeed. I'm looking forward to your _electrifying_ performance, Miss Possible! _Bwah-ha-ha-ha-hah!_" And with one last vicious sneeze, the screen clicked off.

Kim quickly pulled out her laser lipstick case and handed it to Ron. "Hurry, Ron. Use this while I try to play Maestro's music."

Ron cocked an eyebrow. "Uh, sorry KP, but this isn't exactly my color."

Kim winced. "No, Ron, use the laser to try cutting through the door!"

The proverbial light bulb went off over Ron's head. With a casual wave of his hand, he replied, "Of course, I knew that! _Pfft!_ No problemo!"

At that moment, the note middle C sounded on the piano and simultaneously lit up. Kim rushed over to the piano and repeated the note within the five-second time limit.

She muttered to herself, "Okay, Kim. You can do this. You're the girl who can do anything, and that includes plunking out a few notes on a piano."

From across the room, Ron moaned, "_Big_ problemo, Kim! This lock's too thick, even for your laser!"

Kim frowned at the news just as the same note repeated, followed by the E above. She duly repeated the two notes. Now a G was added to the sequence, and again she played the correct notes. Ron hurried back to Kim's side.

"Hey, this is just like that electronic Simon Says game, KP!"

Kim continued to concentrate as a B was added to the sequence, followed by another C, then a D, and back to C.

Ron looked on, his anxiety increasing with each note that was added. One false note and they'd all be instantly fried. He covered his eyes in apprehension.

"Think happy thoughts, happy thoughts … ooh, Rufus, I can't bear to look …"

With a bit more confidence than his master was showing, Rufus patted Ron's arm. "_It's ok!_"

Kim was now relaxing into the groove of the rhythm and melody. "Hey, this is spankin'! Just as long as he doesn't throw something unexpected at me, like …"

Suddenly, the keyboard broke out in ascending and descending sixteenth-note scales which capped off the piece. Kim momentarily froze in panic, then burst out in anger.

"Hey! No fair! I'm not a piano virtuoso! How does he expect me to play that?"

Ron sighed and uttered what he feared might be his last words. "Uh, KP? I think that's the idea."

But before she could even attempt the dexterous passage, Rufus jumped up onto the piano, scrambling up and down the keyboard and repeating the passage note perfect. The piece now complete, the lock released and the door leading outside slowly swung open. Dr. Maestro had at least been true to his word.

As Team Possible rushed out the doorway to freedom, Kim asked amazedly, "Rufus! How did you know how to play that?"

Ron beamed proudly, "I think I can answer that, Kim. Ever hear of the Mozart Effect? Playing Mozart for babies is supposed to make 'em smarter, faster. So I played lots of Mozart for Rufus when he was growing up. Looks like that came in real handy, ah booyah!"

Rufus nodded his head in cheerful agreement. "_Smarter! Uh-huh, uh-huh!_"

Kim laughed in relief. "Good little naked mole rat! I guess I'll just have to reward you with extra cheese for saving us."

Rufus did a little back flip in joy as he happily chattered back his thanks.

Ron whined, "Hey, what about me, KP? I helped train the little guy."

Kim smiled warmly back at her best friend. "And thanks to you too, Ron. You've always had my back, even when you didn't realize what you were doing."

Again, Ron looked perplexed before he caught her meaning. "Huh? Oh, I get it, KP! So teaching Rufus way back then kinda worked out to save you, and … us."

A slightly goofy grin started to form on Ron's face. Kim picked up on his subtle insinuation and quickly added, "Yeah, so Team Possible can keep on fighting the bad guys."

Slightly abashed, Ron's smile faded a bit. "Sure, KP."

But deep down, he wondered if their relationship couldn't develop into something deeper than just teenage world saver and her faithful sidekick. The convo he and Kim had had at the end of a recent mission echoed through his mind.

"_So I... I guess the crush and everything was all moodulator, huh?_"

"_Not everything. There's still fireworks._"

He had been too bashful at the time to ask her exactly what she meant by that. But now, he began to wonder if her cryptic comment had implied something more. And if there was an expiration date on that voiced feeling. Once again, he recalled losing Tara through his own lassitude before anything had a chance to begin.

Kim gave him a concerned look. "Ron, you ok?"

Startled back to the present, he sputtered, "Uh, sorry, Kim."

Not quite convinced, she replied, "You kinda spaced out there for a moment."

He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Nothing really. Just having a Ron moment, that's all."

Desperately wishing to change the conversation, he now looked back at Kim with a glint of determination in his eyes.

"But that Dr. Maestro? He played us, Kim. Now it's _our_ turn."

He slapped one fist into his other palm. "It's _playback_ time!"

Kim giggled. "That's _payback_, Ron."

He shrugged and grinned, "Toe-may-toe, toe-mah-toe, s'all the same to me, KP."

With a loud 'beep-beep-_bee_-beep,' the Kimmunicator clamored for Kim's attention.

"Sitch me, Wade."

"Kim, Dr. Maestro has just left instructions about the delivery of the twelve million dollars. And get this, he posted it on your website no less!"

Kim smiled grimly. "Well, I guess he figured I'd pass _Name That Tune_ somehow. Okay, Wade, what does he want us to do?"

"He wants you and Ron to deliver the money to his lair by noon tomorrow. But that's going to be tough, since he didn't say where his hideout's located."

Kim nodded in understanding. "It's all a twisted game with him, Wade. He wants to match wits with me, so it's up to us to figure out where his lair is. I guess he really _does_ think I'm 'all that,' as opposed to Drakken."

"Could be, Kim. Let's start with his last known physical address. According to the Postal Service, it's right here in Middleton: 123 Verdi Street."

Kim replied with a touch of sarcasm, "Well, isn't _that_ surprising? Wade, you coordinate with the Tri-City public schools regarding the ransom, and we'll check out that address. I've got a feeling this isn't going to be a walk in the park."

"Yeah, or as easy as 3.14159265!"

Kim raised a questioning eyebrow. "Uh, you lost me, Wade."

"Easy as … _pi!_ Ha-ha, get it?"

Wearily she replied, "Got it. Later, Wade."

With a roll of her eyes, Kim broke the connection and sighed, "Everyone's a comedian today … Okay, Ron, let's go. I have a feeling it's going to be a long night …"

* * *

_And Kim has no idea how long that night is going to be, coming up in the next update in two weeks. (Sorry, tax time and a short vacation take precedence, but I hope it'll be worth the wait ...)_

_Also, a little contest for my 'sharp' readers to see who can first identify the Mozart piano piece Kim played: winner will be acknowledged in the next update. I already have a sneaking suspicion about who'll take the prize ..._

_**TBC ...**_


	6. Sitch in A Miner

_Thank You For The Music_ to my ears for all of the reviews for the last chapter from Eddy13, Redemption13, CajunBear73, Katsumara, Gomro Morskopp, Liselle129, rufus3000, LTAOZFAN, campy, slipgate and Mr. Wizard. And _Danke Schoen _to everyone else for reading. Rufus3000 gets to take a bow for guessing the Mozart work in the last chapter: the Piano Sonata in C major, 1st movement. (Sonata #16, K.545 to be exact.) And so, with no further vamping on my part, it's on with the show!

* * *

When Kim and Ron arrived at 123 Verdi Street, they discovered an old abandoned house in a rundown section of town, obviously unoccupied for years.

Kim shivered. "Creepy much?"

"You said it, KP." As soon as Ron stepped onto the porch, his foot went right through the rotten floorboard, sending up a small cloud of dust. Rufus responded with a tiny sneeze.

Ron whispered, "Gesundheit, little buddy."

Kim shook her head. "This is so not a lair, Ron."

Ron agreed, "Yup. It looks more like a bon-diggety haunted house."

The door was slightly ajar. Kim stuck her head inside the musty-smelling room.

"Hello? Anyone home?"

Kim could just make out an ancient light with a rusty chain dangling from it. She pulled it, and an old bare incandescent bulb flickered to life. Attached to the chain was a note.

"_Welcome, Miss Possible! Congratulations for discovering my "Old Kentucky Home," if you'll pardon the pun, since I was born and raised here. If you hope to find my lair in order to deliver the ransom before tomorrow's noon deadline, you'll need to decipher several musical clues, each of which will lead you to your next location and your next clue. I suspect your boy genius will be helping, which is only fair of course. So here's your first clue: what key do you get if you drop a piano down a mine shaft? Good luck! __Dr. Maestro._"

Ron twirled a finger around his head. "This guy's a loon, KP. What kind of clue is that?"

Kim shrugged. "Well, there's one way to find out."

She flipped open her Kimmunicator. "Hey, Wade. You better be slurping a caffeinated soda, because I have a feeling it's going to be a long night for all of us. Dr. Maestro's giving us musical clues to challenge us in finding him and his lair, and each clue will lead to another. The first one is, what key do you get if you drop a piano down a mine shaft?"

Wade guffawed. "That's easy, Kim. The answer is _a-flat minor!_"

The look on Kim's face told him she was not amused. Rufus simply muttered a tiny "_Oh, brother!_"

Ron however was in stitches. "Oh, I get it! The miner gets flattened by the piano! That's pretty good …"

One look at Kim's face caused him to quickly change his tune.

"… or bad, depending on your POV."

Kim turned back to Wade. "So, any idea where the location is? Let's start with any mines that are close by."

Wade's fingers danced over his computer keys like a concert pianist. In a moment, he had the answer.

"Bingo. There's an old abandoned mine just south of Lowerton, previously owned by the Flatt Corporation. That sure fits the bill, Kim. According to the map I'm uploading to your Kimmunicator, the only level still open is the A Level, right below the main floor."

"That's our next destination, Ron. Let's roll!"

Without a moment's hesitation, she was out the door with Ron and Rufus in tow. But what greeted their eyes stopped them all in their tracks.

Kim moaned, "Oh, great! Someone's just stripped my dad's car!"

Mr. Dr. P's car was up on blocks, with all four wheels missing.

"But how could anyone do this so quick without us hearing anything, KP?"

Rufus chattered and pointed at a tiny note that had been placed beneath one of the windshield wipers. Ron picked it up and gave it a quizzical look. A few Kanji characters had been carefully scribbled on it.

"Kim, this is in Japanese. The first symbol looks like the one for Ninja, but I don't recognize the other one."

Kim's face brightened. "Still, I'm impressed that you'd know that, Ron. Maybe Wade can tell us what the other symbol means. Wade?"

Once again Wade's artful fingers danced across the keyboard. "Got it, Kim. And Ron's right. The first character means Ninja, and the other one can be translated as either Fluster or Shame."

Kim growled, "Or perhaps _embarrass_? I think we've just been struck by the Embarrassment Ninjas!"

Ron smacked one hand into the other. "Those sneaky fiends! I'll bet Dr. Maestro found out about them from Drakken and Shego before we sent them back to Cell Block D!"

"No doubt, Ron. Which means we're going to need a ride real quick, Wade."

"No problemo, KP!" Ron interjected. He smirked proudly as he opened the trunk of the car. "My scooter is primed and ready to go, allegro con brio!"

Kim nodded with smile. "Cancel that request, Wade. I think Speed Racer here will get us to the mine in no time flat, no pun intended. Oh, and while we're on the mission, could you have a tow truck come and pick up my dad's car, please and thank you?"

Wade replied with a snort, "I'll make a _note_ of that, Kim!"

Ron donned his helmet and goggles with a dramatic flourish and revved up his scooter's engine. With a devilish grin, he announced, "Show time!"

As soon as Kim climbed on the back, Ron took off with a screech of burning rubber as she held on to him for dear life. With the wind screaming in her ears, she yelled, "Ron, please slow down! I'd really prefer getting there alive if you don't mind!"

Ron yelled back, "No worries, KP! Time is of the Evanescence!"

Rufus for his part was just enjoying the ride, the wind blowing back his tiny naked mole rat cheeks.

"_WHEEEEEE!_"

A mercifully short time later they arrived at the mine, none too soon for Kim's taste.

Screeching to a halt in a flurry of dust, Ron cheerfully announced, "Well, here we are, KP!"

Kim unsteadily got off of the scooter and replied, "Remind me to bring my airsick bag the next time, Ron. But at least you got us here in one piece …"

She gave him a queasy look. "Barely."

A flicker of light caught their eyes, and a dim glow could be seen just within the mine's entrance. They cautiously approached and entered the passageway. Kim crinkled her nose at the damp, musty smell.

"I sure hope that every location we find isn't going to be old, abandoned and smelly."

They found a decrepit tram just within the entrance. A white letter 'A' had been hastily painted on the first of three open cars. A map was taped onto it, which Kim grabbed and looked over. It matched Wade's upload, revealing that they were on the main level, with the A level immediately below them.

"Okay, Wade. So what next?"

From within the first car, a jazzy tune was playing, which Wade quickly identified.

"Guys, I think you simply need to … _Take the 'A' Train!_"

Kim quipped, "I'm so not _In the Mood_ for Dr. Maestro's musical puns, Wade."

Ron snickered, "Good one, Kim."

As soon as they had all settled into the rickety mine car, it automatically started up. Quickly gathering speed, it soon was traveling as fast as a roller coaster, shooting around corners and twirling upside down as it wildly headed for Level A. Ron immediately began to look a little green around the gills.

"Ooh, KP, I'm starting to feel a little crummy in the tummy!"

Kim looked surprised. "What, you mean that wild motocross trip you just took us on didn't upset your stomach, but _now_ you're about to toss your cookies?"

Ron grabbed the side rail as he groaned back, "Yeah, this topsy-turvey upside-downiness is a lot different than just some bon-diggetty speed, Kim."

"Just hold it together, Ron. It looks like we're slowing down."

Ron breathed a sigh of relief as the tram shuddered to a stop. Rufus on the other hand had thoroughly enjoyed their little excursion and excitedly asked, "_Do it again! Do it again!_"

Kim unsteadily replied, "We will, Rufus, just as soon as we find the next clue."

Directly in front of them dangled another piece of paper, hanging off of an electric lantern right where they had stopped. Kim snatched the note and read it aloud.

"_Congratulations, Kimberly Ann! Your next clue can be found in Swan Lake, Act III, No. 15._"

Kim cocked a perplexed eyebrow. "Well, that's a weird clue, but it's par for this sitch I guess. Wade, do you have any idea what it means? Wade, come in. Wade?"

She quickly realized what the problem was. "Duh! We're deep inside a mine. We'll need to get back to the main level before I can get a signal."

She turned her attention back to the several buttons and levers on the panel. "Now, how do we get this thing to go in reverse?"

Ron gave a cursory glance at the controls and smirked, "Leave that to me, KP. I'll just twist this little doohickey here, throw this lever thingy into reverse, and …"

Much to Ron's surprise, the tram suddenly shot forward instead, breaking through the wooden barrier and heading straight for the end of the tunnel. An old Western tune sung by Roy Rodgers began to play from the speakers as a large sign came into view, painted in highly reflective red paint:

"_Happy Trails to You! It's the end of the line, Kimberly Ann!_"

Ron wailed, "Whoa-ho-_ho!_ KP, I swear that lever said Reverse!"

Kim quickly grabbed the handle and thrust it forward, and with a squeal of metal wheels against the rusty rails, the train began to slow down.

"It's Maestro's twisted reverse logic, Ron. I think he meant for us to crash."

But it was too late. The tram's momentum was too great to stop in time, and it smashed through the guard rail and began to plunge down the deep shaft. But luck was still with them as the last car caught the edge of the shaft, stopping the tram from its nose dive and keeping the now precariously perched heroes from falling headlong into the abyss below. Rocks and debris could be heard bouncing off the sides of the shaft, echoing within the narrow passageway as Kim and Ron grimly held on. But the old car, fatigued by one too many years of hauling rock and ore, began to splinter. With a loud crack, Ron yelled as he started to fall.

"_Kim!_"

She swiftly reached out and grabbed her friend by the arm, preventing his plunge toward certain doom. Slowly climbing back into the car, he heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Kim. That's _two_ I owe you for today."

"No problem, Ron. But we better get out of here quick before this whole car collapses. Try climbing up."

But no sooner had Kim begun helping Ron up toward safety, than the entire tram began to slip again. Rufus scurried out of Ron's pocket and ran up the precariously hanging cars. In a flash he reappeared at the top of the shaft, a coil of rope held tightly in his mouth. He wasted no time in dropping it into Ron's waiting hands.

"Way to go, Rufus!"

Ron immediately wrapped the rope underneath his arms and prepared to do the same for Kim. But with a sickening groan of metal and a snap of splintering wood, the tram finally gave way, beginning its final plummet to the bottom: with Kim still in it. With a desperate gasp, they both reacted instinctively and grasped each other's arm.

"Hold on, Kim, I've got you!"

Grunting with the effort, she managed to gain a small toehold on a beam protruding from the wall. Suddenly, they both began to be pulled back up.

Ron's eyebrows went up in surprise. "Whoa, Rufus must have been eating his Wheaties today!"

As soon as they were pulled to safety, they observed Rufus operating an electric winch, a small yellow construction helmet topping his tiny head. Kim and Ron collapsed in a heap at the edge of the shaft, exhausted but thankful to still be alive.

Panting heavily, Ron shot Rufus a look of gratitude. "Quick thinking, Rufus! Thanks, buddy."

Kim likewise offered Ron a grateful look. "Thanks for grabbing me back there, Ron. I really wasn't looking forward to becoming a permanent resident down there."

A look of concern then came over her face. "Unfortunately, Dr. Maestro's been one step ahead of us every step of the way, not to mention that he has one spankin' mean streak. And despite trying a little too hard to fit the mold of a supervillain, his twisted imagination sure seems to be a cut above our usual megalomaniacs."

"You said it, Kim. But I just know we'll get him. You can do anything, and remember that I'll always have your back."

Ron winced just as soon as he had said that. "As long as I don't throw the wrong lever, that is."

Kim offered him a wan smile in return. "Not you fault, Ron. Maestro planned that. So we'll have to be on our guard for any extra tricks of his along the way."

Ron quickly added, "Or any _trap traps!_"

It was now Kim's turn to wince, as she recalled Drakken's recent convoluted logic of unexpectedly setting a trap so obvious that they wouldn't be expecting one. With a tired look, she got up and brushed the dust off of her mission outfit.

"Right, Ron. So let's get out of here before anything else blows up in our face."

As they both carefully made their way back toward the mine's exit, Ron's thoughts again began to wander.

"_Yeah, looks like I saved her this time, and she noticed it, too._"

He smiled in satisfaction at the thought. As Kim continued to walk in front of him, he began to look at her in a newer, different light. For the first time, he took careful note of her slender figure, and of her long, thick red hair, cascading down over her shoulders like a crimson waterfall. In spite of the sweat of their terrific exertions, he was still able to catch a whiff of her hair's beautiful, fragrant scent.

Ron began to realize that Kim was no longer just a girl to him, but a woman. A beautiful woman. And he was starting to feel that she was no longer just a friend, but perhaps, just perhaps …

Ron stopped short in a panic. "_Whoa! I really gotta watch thoughts like that!" _

He shook his head vigorously to clear his mind, but just as he did so, a miniature Ron appeared on his shoulder with a small poof. Wearing a tiny halo and clothing of shimmering white, he also sported a pair of wings. Beaming with a broad smile, he began whispering into Ron's ear.

"Wow, Kim's really cute, and all grown up. I think she's ready for a _real_ boyfriend. Someone just like _you_."

Ron sighed, "Yeah, someone just _like_ me, but not _me_. I know her all too well. She just wants a hottie she can go gaga over, which leaves me out of the bon-diggety running."

His frown deepened as he came to a sad realization. "I'm just the sidekick."

The tiny angel patted Ron's shoulder and gave him an encouraging look. "Hey, don't put yourself down, Ron ol' buddy! And don't give up before you've even tried."

"Yeah, maybe you're right, but I've always been just buds with Kim. Best buds, in fact. So I … I wouldn't want to risk losing all that in case a romance between us tanked."

The angel Ron quickly replied, "So just take it slow at first! Start by asking her out to the Junior Prom. You two could make such bee-yootiful music together, _ah-booyah!_"

But before Ron could respond, another miniscule Ron appeared on his other shoulder with a tiny flash. This Ron was different, however. Garishly attired in a black and red cape, his skin glowed with a faintly blue color. A pair of tiny horns stuck out from beneath his purple cap.

"Oh, yeah? More like a funeral dirge to celebrate your, your oh-so-pathetic feelings over that self-centered egomaniacal _Kimberly Ann_. Get real, Ron. Like she really cares! You're just a sidekick to her, and always will be. _And sidekicks need to know their place_."

He continued with a dismissive wave of his hand. "So give up while you're still behind and save yourself from a humiliation worse than death, you pathetic loser!"

The angelic Ron wagged a warning finger. "Don't listen to him, Ron. _He's_ the megalomaniac here, not Kim. And you know it!"

He took on a beatific appearance as he closed his eyes and began floating gently above Ron's shoulder. "Just use your power of imagination, and envision the relationship of your dreams …"

The devil Ron pinched his nose in disgust. "Eww, gag me with a musical spoon, you angelic wannabe!"

He scooted closer to Ron's ear and whispered suggestively, "Skip the imagination part and just stick with the _power_. Don't forget that power is the ultimate aphrodisiac, my friend. So just forget about Kim, she's not worth it. With my help, you can come up with some coolio weapons just like before, and then you can catch a _real_ hottie, like Bonnie Rockwaller. _Or even better!_"

"Don't give in Ron!" the angel pleaded.

"Sure, go ahead. Live a little!" the devil taunted.

"_Power of imagination!_"

"_Ultimate power!_"

With a huge yell, Ron screamed, "BOTH OF YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Kim turned back to him in shock just as both of the tiny Rons disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Ron, what's gotten into you? What's your damage?"

Embarrassed at his sudden outburst, he blushed bright red and stuttered, "Er, uh, just a couple of big bugs, KP!"

With a disappointed look, Kim shook her head. "Ron, you _really_ have to get over your bug issues. They're all over the place, so you just need to get used to them."

Secretly grateful that Kim had bought his hasty explanation, he ran with it. "Oh, sure, real nice. Just mock my weakness, KP."

Kim smiled and touched his face. "You're not weak, Ron. It's just a phobia. And you'll grow out of it sooner or later, I promise. Okay?"

Ron sighed and returned her smile. "Thanks, Kim. I know I will, eventually. On the other hand, monkeys might be a much harder nut to crack …"

Kim simply rolled her eyes and turned back to the mine entrance, now just ahead of them.

Ron exhaled quickly and thought, "_Man, that was way too close. I really have to get my head in the game. Now, if I could just figure out which freakin__'__ game I'm in …_"

_**TBC …**_


	7. Swan Dive

_Kind thanks to CajunBear73, Slipgate, Katsumara, Eddy13, LTAOZFAN, Mr. Wizard, and campy for reviewing, and to all of you out there in the Kimmunity for reading. __And now for this week's episode, "Just Go Jump In The Lake," or, "Bonnie Has A Cute Ballet Button!"_

* * *

Once they were outside of the mine, Kim had no trouble activating her Kimmunicator and was immediately able to reach Wade.

"All right, Wade, we have the next clue."

Wade's eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw Kim's disheveled appearance.

"Whoa, Kim! What happened? You look like you've just been on a 20 mile hike around Lake Wannaweep!"

Kim grimaced. "Yeah, Dr. Maestro tried to take us all on a one way trip straight down a mine shaft."

Ron piped up, "And since we're both under 18, we would have been _two_ flat minors!"

Kim continued, "But thanks to Ron and Rufus, we're all still in one piece. Anyway, we've got the next clue in Maestro's musical scavenger hunt. So, what do you know about _Swan_ _Lake_?"

Wade's fingers danced across his keyboard as he entered the title into his computer. "Well, it's a popular ballet written by Tchaikovsky, the same composer who wrote _The Nutcracker_." He took a long pull on his soda. "Did he provide you with any other clues?"

She nodded, "Yes, he mentioned Act III, No. 15."

Wade did some additional checking. "That's the number that opens the act. It's a march that introduces a fancy ball. But that's really not much to go on."

Kim suggested, "Try searching for any performances that are running currently."

After another quick check, Wade frowned. "Sorry Kim, nothing locally. And the next production opens in New York, but that's not for another few weeks."

"Hmm. Probably not soon enough for Dr. Maestro's present purposes. How about recent productions?"

Wade smiled as he announced, "Got it! The Middleton Ballet just had its closing performance two weeks ago, and … get this, Kim! Our very own Bonnie Rockwaller was the understudy for the female lead role! It's actually a dual role, and according to my, uh, _sources_, she was perfect for the evil Odile character but wasn't quite convincing enough for the sweet and innocent Odette."

Ron couldn't help but snicker. "Sounds like Bon Bon was a little too snarky for her own good."

Kim nodded in agreement. "No argument there, Ron."

A sly look then appeared on Kim's face. "Nice work Wade, but exactly _which_ sources are you referring to, if I may ask?"

Kim knew all too well of Wade's resourcefulness in obtaining critical information, occasionally even resorting to some shady methods at times. She recalled that Bonnie kept a computer diary, and also knew that Wade had snuck a peek or two into her own diary in the past. She had a hunch that he might have just done the same with Bonnie's journal.

Wade merely returned her query with a mysterious smile. "Well, Kim, I could tell you, but then …"

Kim finished his sentence. "Yeah, then you'd have to kill me, I know. All right, it sounds like Bonnie may be the key here, but hopefully only as an innocent bystander."

Ron snickered again. "Bonnie, _innocent?_"

Kim made a wry face, even though she secretly agreed with Ron's veiled barb. "Mind out of the gutter, Ron."

He answered with a smirk, "Sorry, Kim," even though the look on his face showed that he really wasn't very sorry at all.

Wade suggested, "Maybe you could call her and see if she has any ideas, Kim."

The horrified look on Kim's face revealed exactly what she felt about that idea. "What, ask _Bonnie_ for help? And at _this_ time of night?"

Ron then sucked in a deep, ragged asthmatic breath and darkened his voice. "She is now our only link to finding Dr. Maestro's secret base."

Kim reluctantly gave in. "All right, Darth Ronster. I just hope Queen Bonnie doesn't kill us all for calling her so late."

She silently added, "_Not to mention me having to swallow my pride in asking for her help._"

Kim slowly punched in Bonnie's number and bit her lip as it began ringing. A groggy voice answered, "Huh-hello?"

"Bonnie, it's Kim. Sorry to call so late, but it's important."

Now awake, Bonnie growled, "What the … Kim, it's 2:30 in the morning! This _better_ be important!"

"Unfortunately, it is. A new villain is holding tomorrow's band competition for ransom, and gave us a clue on how to find him. But he only said 'Swan Lake, Act III, No. 15.' Any idea what he could mean by that?"

For a moment, Kim was greeted only with stony silence. Then Bonnie slowly muttered, "That number is right in the middle of the ballet. And it's the _only_ number I got to dance in when the Middleton Ballet did it a few weeks ago, even though I understudied the lead role. That part should have been _mine!_"

Ignoring Bonnie's rant, she exclaimed, "Bonnie, did you say the _middle_ of Swan Lake?" Kim's face brightened. "I think that's it! Thanks, Bonnie!"

Bonnie grunted, "Super. Now can I go back to sleep? Toodles, K …" She clumsily hung up the phone. "Losers! Now where was I? Oh yeah, that dream about Brick. Mmmm …" She smiled as she turned over and went back to sleep.

Kim excitedly called Wade back. "Wade, are there any Swan Lakes close by, y'know, as in _real_ lakes?"

"Checking now, Kim." Wade suddenly exclaimed, "Affirmative, Kim! There's a Lake Cygnus in the mountains just west of us. But it's over a hundred miles away, so you're going to need a ride."

Wade gave her a devious grin. "And I think I may have just the ticket. Start heading for the hanger area at the Middleton Airport, and I'll give you a call back as soon as I have your ride confirmed."

* * *

With no arrivals or departures scheduled after midnight, the Middleton Airport was nearly deserted in the wee hours of the morning. Ron puttered along slowly, as there were only a few dimly lit signs pointing the way to the hanger area.

Kim queried, "I wonder what kind of ride Wade's planning on getting us at this time of night, Ron?"

"Dunno, Kim. But it's a sure bet that it'll be from someone who owes you a _big_ favor."

_Beep-beep-BEE-beep. _Kim quickly answered her Kimmunicator.

"Sitch me, Wade."

Wade instructed, "Proceed to Hanger 18, Kim. You're cleared through all the checkpoints."

Kim looked puzzled. "Checkpoints?"

Ron just shrugged as he continued to tool by the dark hangers. Armed military guards waved them both through several gates until they reached their destination. A familiar face was there to greet them.

Kim brightened up. "General Sims!"

The general gave Kim and Ron a smart salute. "At your service, Miss Possible. I understand you have a K.525/KR scenario at present: nighttime transport needed for a critical Team Possible mission. Mr. Load just filled me in on all the details."

Kim smiled back, "We really appreciate this, General."

"Think nothing of it. It's the least I can do after you saved Area 51 from that giant poodle last year."

He glanced down at Rufus, who had just appeared out of Ron's pocket. "Hmm, your pet seems a little smaller than I remember … Anyway, if you'll just follow me."

He led them into the large hanger and flipped on the lights, motioning toward the center of the room.

"Here's our newest top secret aircraft. It's a turbojet-powered amphibious flying boat with some very _unique_ stealth capabilities."

Ron scratched his head as he looked around the apparently empty hanger. "Uh, right. That's real nifty, but where exactly is it?"

He took a few steps forward, banging his head on the cloaked plane.

"Ow! That smarts."

General Sims chuckled. "Yes, that's exactly what we hope our enemies will say once this little baby is deployed."

Ron suddenly realized what he had just run into. "Wow, an invisible plane! This is totally badical, Kim!"

The general knocked on the hidden fuselage. A hatch opened out of nowhere, revealing the aircraft's interior. Steps lowered directly in front of the surprised teens.

"The G-85 Sea Eagle is joint service project designed for clandestine missions, and is capable of both ground and water takeoffs and landings. Your associate explained the importance of your mission, so it's my great pleasure to place it temporarily at your disposal. We also have scuba gear on board should you need it, and they're all equipped with a special comm link so that you can communicate while underwater."

The jet turbines whirred to life as the aircraft prepared for takeoff. "Your pilot now has the coordinates for Lake Cygnus, so you're all ready to go. Good luck to you both."

Kim said, "Thanks, General." As Team Possible climbed on board, Rufus returned the general's smart salute.

They immediately strapped themselves into their seats and prepared for takeoff. With a gentle roar, the stealth plane lifted into the air, winging its way toward their destination.

"Boy, this is exciting, Kim! On our way to Lake Cygnus for the next clue, and in a stealth airplane, no less!" He let out a self-satisfied sigh as he sunk back into his plush, comfortable seat. "It doesn't get any better than this, KP. I could just … just …"

In the next moment he was fast asleep, snoring away quietly as Kim looked on with a grin.

"Sweet dreams, Ron."

Kim felt like taking a short nap as well, but found that she was still much too hyped up by all the excitement of the evening, as well as worries over how they were going to catch Dr. Maestro before the noon deadline. She was likewise concerned over some of the vibes she had begun picking up from Ron. As she tried to relax, her mood turned introspective.

"Ron sure seems extra heart-on-his-sleevey lately. I wonder if I could have done anything to encourage that other than the Moodulator sitch?"

She recalled a Friday night not too long ago when she had majorly jelled over Ron's preference for battling computer zombies with his friend Felix over spending time with her, as they prepared for Zombalooza, a 24-hour nonstop gaming benefit for repetitive stress injuries.

She and Ron had always made a habit of spending Friday nights with each other, and although she had never really said it, everyone in her family knew that Friday night was 'Ron Night.' But no one had ever called it an actual _date_, had they? Let alone _her_. Still, she could just hear her father saying, "Well, if it walks like a rocket scientist, and it talks like a rocket scientist, then it must _be_ a rocket scientist."

Kim began to ponder, "So maybe they _were_ kinda' dates, but not really a _date_ date?"

She felt like a romantic trap trap had just been sprung on her, and desperately wished that she had someone she could talk her feelings over with. With a small pop, her wish manifested itself as a tiny angelic Kim appearing right above her shoulder. Dressed in a pure white cheerleader outfit, she hovered over Kim with delicate gossamer wings, a halo gracing the top of her copper-colored hair.

The apparition softly cooed, "You really care for Ron, don't you?"

Kim thought for a moment. "Yeah, he's my best friend. Why wouldn't I?"

The angel frowned. "It's much deeper than that, Kim, and you know it. You're just M.I.D.! Hasn't the thought ever crossed your mind how you two would be as a BF/GF?"

Kim shrugged. "Sure, and who hasn't?" She heaved a deep sigh. "Yeah, maybe I am majorly in denial, but I'm not sure I want to cross that bridge just yet."

Suddenly, another more devilish Kim materialized over her other shoulder. Clothed in a tight fitting tan bodysuit with dark brown spots, her blazing red hair cascaded sensuously out the back of her cowl. Her tail flicked back and forth mischievously as she whispered, "Yeah, but Ron's _so _not boyfriend material. Just think of what people would say!"

She added with a sneer, "_Especially_ Bonnie."

Kim agreed, "Yeah, Queen Bonnie would have a field day, as well as the rest of the cheer squad. But I so intimidate all of the boys I've ever gone out with, and all because of my constant world-saving sitches."

The angelic Kim gently replied, "Yes, but not Ron." A sly smile appeared on her otherwise innocent face. "And that goes for Yori, too, by the way. _She_ certainly doesn't seem to intimidate Ron at _all_."

Warming up to her clever ploy, she mused, "Yes, I could really see them both …"

Kim abruptly cut her off. "Point taken," she growled. "But remember when Josh Mankey completely gave up on me after I canceled one too many dates due to a last minute mission?"

The angel quickly reminded her, "Yes, but you two were already growing apart, and you both decided to move on. Don't forget that you had secretly begun comparing Ron with Josh, and rather favorably if I remember."

The devilish Kim added, "Yeah, maybe, but don't forget that Ron can be really unfocused and easily distracted at times." She added with a big huff, "Pfft! Better make that _all _the time!"

The angel sweetly added, "But what about the Moodulator? That brought your true feelings to the surface."

With a dismissive wave, the evil Kim cattily replied, "Nah, it only amplified the fact that you'd stoop so low as to crush on the goofus." With a quick flick of her tail, she proclaimed, "He's like a child, Kim, and you need a _man._"

Angel Kim pleaded, "No, Kim. He's your best bud!"

Devil Kim shot back, "Nah, he's a childish slacker."

"Sweetie! Honey!"

"Nerd! Loser!"

The angel Kim was quickly losing patience, and gave her counterpart a hard shove. "Back off, Sheila! She deserves the best, you tramp!"

The devil Kim sneered back. "Ooh, showing your true colors, Angel Kimmie? So, I guess you wanna fight dirty!"

The evil Kim grabbed the angel and flung her off Kim's shoulder, but not before she was able to grab her tail, spinning them both to the floor. Both of them immediately launched into a furious attack, twirling and kicking each other in a melee strangely reminiscent of Kim's typical brawls with Shego.

All of a sudden, they both disappeared in a puff of smoke as the pilot began speaking over the intercom.

"Miss Possible, we're on approach to Lake Cygnus. Please return your tray table to its upright position and prepare for landing."

With a sigh of frustration, Kim gently shook Ron awake. "Hey, sleepyhead. We're here."

As the plane circled the lake, she spotted a small boat anchored directly in the middle. Using her binoculars, Kim noted a sign within it, lit up with blinking LEDs forming an arrow pointing straight down.

"It says, '_Clue Here_.' Obvious much?"

Ron yawned, "Well, at least we know we've got the right place, KP."

The pilot landed on the water's edge so as not to swamp the tiny boat. Team Possible rapidly donned their scuba gear.

Ron placed Rufus on the seat beside him. "Rufus, you stay here where it's safe and dry while we retrieve the clue." The naked mole rat moaned in disappointment, but understood that it would be difficult to tag along this time without his own wetsuit.

As they opened the hatch and slipped into the dark water, they could all hear the beautiful waltz from Act I of Swan Lake wafting across the lake.

Kim turned on her comm link. "Testing, testing. Ron, can you hear me?"

Ron responded, "Testing, one, two, three. Do, re, mi … uh, is this thing on? So, a duck, a frog and a naked mole rat walk into a bar …"

Ron didn't see Kim roll her eyes as she replied, "Uh, riiight. Looks like the comm link's working fine, Ron."

They swam leisurely out to the boat, really not much larger than a dinghy, and climbed aboard.

"So, Kim, I wonder what kind of _trap trap_ the wrongsick doctor has for us this time?"

She quipped, "Something fishy, no doubt."

"And I'll bet whatever it is has _scales_, KP!"

"Whatever, Ron. Let's just grab the clue and split."

She looked around the small boat, but no clue was to be found. "Uh, Ron, I'm …"

"Clueless?" Ron snorted, which sounded even funnier with his scuba mask on.

"Cute, Mr. Obvious. But if the clue isn't in the boat, then it has to be …"

Kim again noticed the blinking LED arrow, which continued to point straight down.

"Underwater. Just great. Time to get back in the pool, Ron, before …"

The waltz suddenly stopped.

Ron mumbled a worried, "Uh, oh."

A new piece of music now began, beginning with two ominous notes ascending by a half step, softly intoned by cellos and basses. After a few seconds the motif repeated, then urgently continued as the deadly crescendo rose in volume. As if on cue, a small wave hit the side of the boat as a large dorsal fin broke the surface of the lake and began circling Kim and Ron.

Ron whimpered, "Don't look now, Kim, but …"

Kim merely huffed, "I should have guessed."

Ron weakly replied, "But as long as we stay in the boat, we'll be okay, right?"

Just then, the giant shark jumped out of the water. Its razor-sharp teeth glinted in the moonlight as it opened wide its huge maw, intent on swallowing Kim and Ron in a single gulp.

"Uh, KP? I think we're gonna need another boat …"

Kim yelled, "Jump, Ron!"

They had barely hit the water when the shark came crashing down on the boat, smashing it to splinters. It swiftly swam back around, its red eyes glowing balefully as it searched the water for Kim and Ron.

Kim took note of that unusual fact. "Ron, that thing's eyes are glowing!"

Ron fearfully whined, "Yeah, scary, huh?"

Kim answered, "Ron, _real_ shark eyes don't glow. That thing must be mechanical, which gives me an idea."

She took off her scuba tank. "Stay perfectly still, Ron. I'm going to try to get that beastie to follow me."

Kim quickly swam off with the shark in hot pursuit. "Here, sharky, sharky …"

She dropped the scuba tank behind her, and just as the shark opened its maw to swallow it, she activated her laser lipstick. The beam struck the highly pressurized tank, causing it to explode with the force of a miniature depth charge. A huge plume of water shot up as the mechanical shark was blown to pieces, the buoyant remains of its foam body lazily drifting to the surface.

Kim broke to the surface gasping for air, but quickly broke out in a satisfied grin, pleased that her ploy had worked. Ron surfaced along side of her and exclaimed, "Way to go, Kim!"

Rufus likewise chattered his congratulations from the flying boat, which had just pulled up alongside.

Kim complained, "Yeah, but now we have no boat, and no clue."

All of a sudden, music began playing from the remains of the shark floating on the water. A buoyant waterproof CD player began playing _Taps_, a tiny white flag of surrender marking its location. Attached to the flag was the elusive clue. Kim retrieved it and read it aloud.

"_Congratulations, Kimberly Ann! You've snatched victory from the "Jaws" of defeat! Now riddle me this: What type of car would a Valkyrie drive? Hint: it's used."_

Kim looked perplexed. "I guess I need to figure out what a Valkyrie is first."

She flipped open her Kimmunicator. "Still awake, Wade? We have our next clue: what kind of used car would a Valkyrie drive? That is, whatever a Valkyrie is, of course."

Wade easily replied, "The last part is easy, Kim. According to Norse legend, Valkyries are female warrior deities who swoop down and pick up fallen heroes from the battlefield and take them to Valhalla, kind of a Norse heaven. The musical reference would be Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries." As to what kind of used car they would drive, that's a bit tougher. Traditionally they ride horses, not drive cars."

Kim moaned, "Let's figure it out once we're back in Middleton, Wade. Right now I _really_ need a nap."

They all climbed back on board the plane, which promptly took off from the now quiet lake. As soon as Kim strapped herself into her seat, she dropped off into an uneasy slumber. As they winged their way back to Middleton, she dreamt that her tiny angel and devil avatars continued to battle each other, as her unconscious mind struggled for a resolution to her growing feelings for Ron.

* * *

**_TBC …_**

_And another tip of the hat will go to whoever can decipher the meaning of General Sims' "K.525/KR scenario." Hint: it has something to do with yet another Mozart work ..._

_Stay tuned for next week's episode, "A Long Night's Journey Into A Day At The Opera!" _


	8. A Day At The Opera

_Many thanks to my wonderful reviewers this week: Eddy13, CajunBear73, Katsumara, Mr. Wizard, campy, and MrDrP, and to all of those who continue to follow this musical mayhem._

_A tip of the hat to campy for his veiled reference to the meaning behind last week's K.525/KR scenario. 'K.525' is the designation for Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music), and 'KR' for Kim and Ron (naturally). I also enjoyed his witticism that it's better than a K.626 scenario (the Mozart Requiem)._

_And now for this week's exciting episode! Drum roll, please …_

* * *

"Miss Possible, we've arrived back at Middleton."

Kim slowly awoke upon hearing the pilot's announcement. She rubbed her eyes and stretched out her arms, glancing over at Ron, still blissfully slumbering away. Rufus likewise remained tuckered out as his head peeked out of Ron's pocket.

Kim brushed a lock of Ron's hair away as she gazed at his peaceful face, and whispered, "Ron, I envy you for being able to sleep so easily at a time like this."

She gave him a small shake and spoke a little louder, "We're home, Ron. Time to wake up."

Obviously still dreaming, Ron woke with a start and blurted out, "That's not my ferret!"

Kim smiled at her friend's sudden chagrined look. "Well, fearless fighter of freakish foes, having that Wonder Weasel dream again?"

He smiled back bashfully, "Yeah, the one where I'm the hero."

Kim gently replied, "You'll always be a hero in my book, Ron."

Pleased at Kim's comment, Ron got off the plane with a bit more spring to his step than when he had boarded. Kim wasted no time in pulling out her Kimmunicator. "Sitch us, Wade."

"Kim, I've checked for cars named for horses, and the most likely matches are Mustang, Pinto and Bronco. Dr. Maestro said that the car was used, and since the Mustang is still being produced, that leaves us with the Pinto and Bronco. But according to my latest research, the closest used car dealer that has both models in stock is in Santa Maria, California."

"The Pinto, the Bronco and Santa Maria? Sounds like the first cars that landed with the Mayflower, Kim."

She wagged her head at Ron's usual bizarre twisting of actual historical facts. "So not, Ron."

Still, that gave her an idea. "Wade, how about any local dealers that have just one car or the other?"

Wade's fingers galloped along his keyboard. "Whoa! There's one Bronco that's just been put on consignment at Zany Ziggy's Used Car Dealership. And it's the only 24-hour used car dealership in the entire Tri-city area, Kim. Sounds like a pretty good bet."

Kim smirked, "Well, in _this_ horse race, I'll take whatever tips I can get. What's the address?"

"1500 Wagner Avenue, Kim."

Kim drolly responded, "Well, what a surprise. Time to giddyup, Ron."

Ron answered, "No problemo, kemosabe!" As soon as Kim jumped on the back of his scooter, they roared off to their new destination.

* * *

As dawn approached, the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten. However, Kim and Ron could barely notice this due to the glaring neon signs and uncomfortably bright blinking lights immediately ahead, revealing to them that they had just located Zany Ziggy's Used Car Lot.

As they pulled into the lot, Kim tried to shield her eyes from the horrid glare. "Wow, those lights are going to give me a migraine, Ron."

"Really? They seem so soothing to me, just like the opening sequence of Zombie Mayhem III …"

Ron's eyes began to glaze over as he started to slip into a videogame-induced hypnotic trance.

"Snap out of it, Ron! It's just a used car lot."

Ron shook his head to clear it. "Sorry, Kim. Hey, look! There's the Big Z himself!"

Zany Ziggy walked up to them, dressed in his ostentatious signature suit and tie. Tiny lights sewn into his clothing enhanced the garish display. Beaming from ear to ear with a gregarious smile, he warmly greeted them both. "Well, if it's not the famous Kim Possible, and her faithful friend and sidekick, uh, whose name unfortunately escapes me at the moment …"

He scratched his chin as he desperately tried to recall Ron's name.

Ron whined, "Ron? Ron Stoppable?"

Zany Ziggy apologized, "Oh yes, that's right. So sorry."

Ron grumbled back, "No problem, I get that a lot these days."

Without skipping a beat, Zany Ziggy pressed on. "So, looking for a flashy car you can flaunt to your friends? We've got something for everybody! And remember, if it's not snazzy and splashy …"

Together they all intoned his catchphrase, "You didn't buy it from Zany Ziggy!"

Kim cut in before he could continue with his sales pitch. "What we're really looking for is a Bronco that was just placed on consignment here. It may contain a clue about an important mission we're on."

He bowed deeply. "But of course! Only too happy to help. And perhaps your friend would like to trade his moped in for an even better deal?"

Ron shook his head back and forth. "No thanks, I wouldn't trade this in for anything."

He thought to himself, "_Well, maybe one thing. Or one person …"_ He gave Kim a surreptitious glance.

"Very well, then. If you'll follow me please?" Zany Ziggy quickly strode away with Team Possible in tow, stopping before the massive vehicle in question.

"Yes, not only is this baby loaded with amazing features, but it has extremely low mileage too, since its owner only used it to drive back and forth to orchestra rehearsals on Sundays!"

Kim's eyebrows shot up. "Was the owner kind of tall, and wearing a black tux with a cape and a mask?"

He tapped his chin. "Why, yes, come to think of it, he _was_."

"And that didn't strike you as, uh, _unusual_ in any way?"

After taking another look at Zany Ziggy's outlandish outfit, Kim realized that she already had her answer.

Ron quietly whispered, "Better plead the fifth, Kim."

Her attention was diverted by a medium-sized black ball in the driver's seat. She picked it up, turning it over in her hands. A message appeared, displayed in a small window at the top.

"_So close, Miss Possible, but no cigar. Try Again."_

Kim gritted her teeth in frustration. "nnnNNNGGGHHH! He obviously _knew_ we'd come to the come to wrong conclusion! So where's the _real_ clue?"

All of a sudden, the Magical Eight Ball began playing the opening to Act III of Wagner's opera, _Die Walküre__. _The stormy, dramatic music of "The Ride of the Valkyries" rang out across the used car lot. But this version wasn't merely the familiar orchestral excerpt. Powerful sopranos were now heard singing the roles of the mighty Valkyries, in all of their Teutonic glory.

Kim had to raise her voice even to be heard over the cacophony. "Okay, Wade! Obviously we're on the right track, but if the clue isn't a horse, then what could it be?"

As Kim continued to listen to the strident voices, she had a hunch. "Wade, what if it's not what they're riding? Maybe it's what they're actually singing _about_. Can you locate the lyrics of that particular piece?"

"Right away, Kim." His fingers sang across the keyboard as he sought the answer. "Here it is, guys. They're singing about taking fallen warriors to Valhalla. And get this: their war cry is _Ho-yo-to-ho!_"

Kim repeated, "_Ho-yo-to-ho_?"

The proverbial light bulb again popped up over Kim and Ron as they simultaneously blurted out, "Toyota-Ho!"

The raucous operatic music immediately stopped, only to be replaced by the clarion call of a car alarm, ringing out from a vehicle parked right next to the used car lot.

As they rushed over to the car, Kim playfully said, "Jinx, Ron. You owe me a soda."

She noted right away with no little irony what the car's make and model was. "Wade, it's a Toyota Stallion."

Wade frowned as he did another quick computer inquiry. "Ooh, sorry, guys. I should have checked more thoroughly. That model was only built and sold in South Africa, and I had only checked cars available domestically."

Kim dismissed the minor error. "An easy mistake to make, Wade, and one that Dr. Maestro obviously anticipated. He may not be so the drama in person, but he's gone to some incredibly spankin' lengths with his clues. I just wonder what we'll find once we catch up with him."

She noticed that the car was unlocked. "So, let's see what the dear Doctor has prescribed for us _this_ time."

She opened the car door and looked in both the front and back seats. This time however, she found nothing. Growing more aggravated by the minute, she called out, "Ron? Still zip. Would you check the trunk while I check the glove compartment, please and thank you?"

"Sure thing, KP!" was his quick reply. But he too came up short. "Sorry, Kim. Nothing here either. I'll try looking in the spare tire compartment."

As he climbed into the trunk, he muttered, "Hmm. Maybe the clue isn't something as obvious as before. Either that, or I guess Dr. M has something else in mind."

No sooner had Ron spoken than the trunk lid slammed down, trapping him inside.

"Aahh! Kim! _Help!_ This is like 'Ghost Car' all over again!"

Kim heard his muffled cry, but before she could react, the front door suddenly slammed shut. The door locks clicked down automatically, trapping her as well. Kim unsuccessfully tried opening the door, then tried several powerful kicks, but to no avail. She likewise found the windows impervious to her blows.

"This is _so_ not good."

She grabbed her laser lipstick in order to cut her way out, but its last power reserve had just been used up fighting the mechanical shark.

"Now this is _really _so not good." She yelled out, "It looks like we're both trapped again, Ron!"

With Team Possible now securely imprisoned within it, the car started up and began driving away, obviously now on autopilot. The radio came on and began playing the triumphant pirate chorus from the first act of Gilbert and Sullivan's _The Pirates of Penzance_, but now sung by Dr. Maestro, and with lyrics slightly changed to fit the new sitch.

"_You have missed your op-por-tunity_

_Of escaping with im-pu-nity_

_So farewell to the felicity of your maiden crime fight-isity!_

_You shall quickly be transportified_

_After you're anesthetized_

_By a doctor of musicality_

_Who resides in this vicinity!"_

Kim activated her Kimmunicator just as knockout gas began to be pumped into the passenger compartment.

"Wade! Trapped inside … _cough_ … the car! Maestro's taking us to … to …"

The Kimmunicator clattered to the car floor as Kim passed out on the seat.

Wade yelled, "Kim! Come in, Kim! KIM!"

He was greeted only by silence as the car continued to its ultimate destination: the secret lair of Dr. Maestro.

* * *

_**TBC ...**_


	9. The Mahlerinator

_Thanks for everyone's patience as I finally get this chapter posted. And thanks to CajunBear 73, Eddy 13, Mr. Wizard, campy, Katsumara and Slipgate for reviewing, and everyone for reading._

_And now a little plug for my recent story, Hope Springs Eternal, my entry for AmericanGecko's Minor Characters Story contest. Read 'em all: many are really excellent! Voting ends Wednesday, so please read and vote for your favorite story. (The poll is under the Kim Possible Discussion Forum and closes May 25.) _

_Now let's see what kind of treble Team Possible has fallen into this time ..._

* * *

Kim began to come to. She found herself bound tightly in speaker wire, suspended in mid-air. As she lifted her head, a wave of dizziness hit her.

"Ooh, what was that stuff?"

A voice spoke out of the darkness.

"Merely a potent anesthetic gas, Miss Possible, but otherwise totally harmless."

Kim mumbled, "Ron, you awake?"

"Right here, KP," was his weak reply. Both he and Rufus were similarly bound.

Dr. Maestro chuckled evilly as he stepped out of the shadows, still smartly dressed in his tuxedo and tails. He sported a new pair of pants to replace the ones shredded by his cat, but they were a few sizes too large, forcing him to keep pulling them up as he walked.

"Ah, both awake? Very good! It's time for the next phase of my diabolical plan. But let there be no doubt in your minds, I've thoroughly enjoyed the entire _prelude_ so far."

Regaining her composure, Kim growled, "Well, I sure haven't, Maestro! It may be trite to say that you'll never get away with this, but villains never seem to learn, do they?"

Dr. Maestro responded with raised eyebrows and a gentle _tsk-tsk_.

"Oh, but that's where you're so very wrong, and on _both_ counts, my sassy little world saver. You see, I _will_ get away with this, as I've spent a great deal of time studying both you and your adversaries. Your foes have always come up with a brilliant plan, only to find themselves thwarted somehow by you and your bumbling sidekick. Then, instead of trying to perfect the plans they've already concocted, they come up with something new and different, which invariably fails."

Ron was amazed at the villain's insight. "Ooh, Kim! That's exactly why Wiley Coyote never caught the Road Runner!"

Frowning at the interruption, Dr. Maestro pressed on with his monologue. "And by my careful study of _why_ they failed, I've come up with a few clever ideas of my _own_."

He continued in a carefree, sing-song manner. "I just wanted to try them out against you first, before _orchestrating_ my takeover of the world. And that's where Team Possible comes in. If I can _conduct_ myself in a fashion good enough to defeat you, then nothing shall stop me in my melodious quest for world domination! _Ha-ha-ha-hah!_ Aaah-CHOO!"

Kim smirked, "Still allergic to that cat hair, Maestro?"

Dr. Maestro wiped his nose with his handkerchief. "Not quite. This lair is rather dusty and I haven't had time to clean it up, what with all of the extraordinary preparations I've been making regarding your capture and inevitable doom."

Kim asked, "Yeah, but why so many of those musical clues? A little overkill, don't you think?"

"Besides displaying my superior intellect, you mean? To keep you both busy, of course," he gloated. "I surmised that if you were preoccupied with locating and deciphering my clues, you wouldn't have time to focus on locating me and my lair before I was completely prepared for you."

Kim smugly agreed, "Yeah, you sure went all out. But don't you think that time would have been better spent in another way? Like finding a good lawyer, or figuring out who's going to post your bail once we drop you into Cell Block D?"

Choosing not to rise to her bait, he waved his hand dismissively. "Hardly, Miss Possible. I certainly won't be joining that _other_ doctor in that particular location, nor his extraordinarily beautiful sidekick. Although as sidekicks go, one _could_ do much, much worse …"

His smile quickly devolved into a rather lascivious leer. Ron immediately caught the implication and reacted with a disgusted look. "Eww! Eww! Crushing on _Shego?_ That's just sick and wrong, man!"

"Perhaps, but they were _most_ helpful in recounting their many adventures with you. All it took was, shall we say, the right background music? I found that Dr. Bortel's moodulator technology is a _perfect_ fit for my magnificent musical manifestations. It's amazing how that can help loosen the tongue of even the most reticent of villains."

He chuckled to himself, "And to think that all it took for my successful online bid for those hi-tech components was my last-minute snipe on eFjord."

Kim cringed at the thought of that insidious technology in Maestro's hands, but still managed to airily respond, "Well, sorry to strike a discordant note, Maestro, but we have a perfect _record_ of busting villains like you."

Ron chimed in, "Yeah, and we have some bon-diggety CD's too!"

Kim confidently continued with the conviction born of countless successful missions. "No matter how we do it, we _will _escape, and we _will_ get you. You villains always forget something, and we always take full advantage of it."

Dr. Maestro roared with laughter. "I think not, Kimberly Ann. I've planned for _every_ contingency. And by the way, that was Evil Laugh #19, courtesy of my studies with Señor Senior Senior."

Ron perked up. "Ooh! I just _knew_ you had to have learned that laugh from him! And you have just the right nuance, y'know, with that perfect drop off at the end, as you hold out that last little bit of …"

"_Ron!_" Kim angrily shouted, surprised at his compliment to their captor.

Dr. Maestro wagged a finger at Kim. "Now, now, don't be so hard on the boy. I can't tell you how long I worked on that laugh, getting it just right. And practice makes perfect, don't you agree? Otherwise, how would you have done so well in your school's talent show last year? And second place _only_ to your sidekick here."

Kim's jaw dropped as she realized just how much he must have been studying her life.

"Yes, I've _really _done my homework." His voice began to take on a more threatening tone as he continued.

"Unlike all those sniveling college students, wanting their easy A's by taking what they _thought_ was a simple music course. Let them take Basket Weaving 101 instead, the thankless whelps! And lecturing to those rows of pimple-faced pupils, while my lesser no-talent colleagues continued to be promoted above me! Well, I'll show _them!_ I'll show them _all _who's the _real _evil master of music! _Bwah-ha-hah!_ Then I'll … I'll …"

Dr. Maestro's voice tapered off as he heard Ron offhandedly counting off a list of some kind.

"Capture the heroes, check. Monologue, check. Backstory, check. Evil rant _because_ of the backstory, check. Well, Kim, there's only one thing left, and that has to be …"

"ENOUGH!" Dr. Maestro seethed, his face suddenly bright red with anger. Kim, he found, he could handle. But Ron was _really_ getting under his skin.

He had to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down, but soon his oily smile and demeanor returned.

"Your sidekick is _quite_ correct. The last thing for me to reveal is the _instrument_ of your doom! Behold!"

He flung his arms up in the air, accidentally dropping his oversized trousers in the process and revealing his red polka-dot shorts instead.

Kim broke out in a fit of laughter while Ron snickered, "And I thought that _I_ was the only one with that problem …"

Flustered by his faux pas, Dr. Maestro quickly pulled up his trousers and pulled back a curtain, revealing a gigantic HD television screen. Green indicator lights flickered malevolently, revealing twelve massive speakers perfectly set up for optimum surround sound.

Dr. Maestro triumphantly announced, "Welcome to the _Mahlerinator_, Miss Possible! While the Mozart Effect is purported to make one both smarter and creative, the Mahler Effect does just the opposite, sapping one's physical and mental strength, and ultimately even the will to live. In essence, its moodulator-based technology short-circuits the natural survival instinct. As you're overwhelmed by the existential hopelessness that only a Kafkaesque Post-Modernist philosophy could otherwise cause, you will soon be begging for the release that only your demise will bring."

Ron's eyes bugged out at the incredible setup. "Coolio! This is even better than the stereo electronics aisle at Smarty Mart, Kim!"

Kim cautioned, "Yeah, but I don't think this rig was exactly designed for our viewing pleasure, Ron."

Dr. Maestro continued to lecture. "Quite right, Kimberly Ann. The cumulative effect on your nervous system will be to slow your metabolism to the point that you'll simply … _fade away_. The final decrescendo of your life will end in a whimper, not with a bang, like so many of your foes have previously attempted. No sixty-second countdowns to your doom, and no miraculous last-minute rescues by either Stoppable here or his pet mole rat."

Kim noticed Ron and Rufus continuing to struggle with their bindings, but to no avail.

Confident in his imminent victory, he pulled out Kim's Kimmunicator. He taunted her with it as he waved it near her face. "Oh, and even if you _could_ reach your little toy, you'd find it useless. This room is completely shielded against any radio or electronic interference. Besides, I don't think it will work without _this_."

He held up its battery pack before pocketing it, dropping the Kimmunicator on the floor in a gesture of contempt. "And all of my marvelous electronics are run by a self-contained power supply …"

He spoke directly to Rufus as he continued, "… and I've especially designed it with no _off_ button."

Rufus could only offer a tiny moan in response to Dr. Maestro's trump of his favorite last-minute trick.

"Lastly, the walls of my lair as well as my superlative equipment are encased in a special shatterproof polymer, impervious to any attack that one might come up with. Not that you'll easily be escaping, of course."

He broke out into Evil Laugh #24, a mild chuckle with sarcastic overtones, a generous dash of hubris added for good measure.

"So, let's discuss what's on this morning's musical menu, shall we? As an appetizer, we'll begin with the finale of the Mahler Ninth Symphony, called by some his Farewell to Life, followed by the last movement of his song cycle, The Song of the Earth, which he entitled … you guessed it! _The Farewell!_"

Warming to his subject, he gloated, "Even Mahler himself remarked on its unmitigated despair by asking, 'Can this be endured at all? Won't people kill themselves afterwards?' But never fear! Should you survive even _that_, I have even _more_ surprises for your listening pleasure."

Like a cheesy late-night infomercial announcer, he gushed, "But wait! That's not all! All of this marvelous music will be accompanied by the saddest moments from the greatest tearjerkers ever filmed, courtesy of MeTube videos and my ingeniously evil editing. _Now_ how much would you pay?"

His masked face broke out in a contented smile. "Well, then. That just about covers everything, I believe. Any questions before your _final exam_ begins?"

Ron responded, "Uh, yeah. Will the test be multiple-choice, or will there be any true or false questions? And are you gonna grade on a curve? Kim here's pretty smart, and I don't know if I can really compete with that …"

With one last incredibly long-suffering sigh, Dr. Maestro intoned, "Farewell, Team Possible. I'm off to either collect my ransom, or else, heh-heh, _adjudicate_ a particular band competition. So without further ado …"

He clicked a button on his remote control which activated the Mahlerinator, and closed the soundproof door behind him as he left. Kim couldn't help but feel that it might have just as well been her coffin lid closing, as they waited for Dr. Maestro's grand finale to start.

* * *

_**TBC: Update this Friday ...**_


	10. The Long Goodbye

_Many thanks to Mr. Wizard, Eddy13, Katsumara, CajunBear73, MrDrP, and campy for their reviews, as well as some excellent ideas and suggestions. And to all of you out there who continue to read. Now hold on to your ticket stubs for this week's musical mayhem, **The Long Goodbye**, or, **When The Fat Lady Sings ... And Sings ... And Sings ...**_

* * *

Kim and Ron each made one last effort at escaping from their bindings, but the high-quality speaker wire known as Monster Cable was too strong for them. No matter how much Kim flexed or contracted her muscles, the flexibility of the wire kept her tightly secured.

The lugubrious music of the finale from Mahler's Ninth Symphony began, the rich string playing immediately tugging at Kim's each and every heartstring. Its depressing mood was further enhanced by the insidious effect of the Mahlerinator.

As the videoscreen began showing the "Never Let Go" scene from the movie _Titanic_, Kim immediately began to feel the device's devilish influence. But having already been exposed to its infamous progenitor, she was prepared for its devious effects.

She grunted, "Oh, man, this thing is working like the Moodulator set on Despair! But I'm the girl who can do anything, and that includes resisting _this!_"

As soon as the finale concluded, the dark somber chords of _The Song of the Earth_ began their sad tolling. Ron was soon breaking down, swept away by the music's unremitting gloom.

He lamented, "Kim, this music would be so cool if it weren't so incredibly depressing!"

As the music played on, pictures of sad farewells scrolled by in endless succession. Couples saying goodbye at airports and train stations, bus depots and cab stands. The montage was capped off by the last scene in _Casablanca_, Humphrey Bogart bidding his sad adieu to his former love, the beautiful Ingrid Bergman, now married to a brave resistance fighter in World War Two. As he wiped away a tear from her face, he uttered the immortal line, "_Here's looking at you, kid._" She slowly turned and boarded the plane, never to be seen by him again.

Under the powerful influence of the Mahlerinator, Ron began to imagine himself in the part of Bogey, playing an identical final farewell scene. But instead of bidding _au revoir_ to Bergman's tragic character, he found himself saying a sad goodbye to Kim as she left with Josh Mankey.

With sorrow in his voice, he began, "If that plane leaves and you're not with him, you'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but maybe by the end of next week. On second thought, probably not until Regionals are over. But maybe kinda soon, and for the rest of your life."

She sadly looked back at him with her huge beautiful green eyes. "But Ron, what about us?"

He wistfully replied, "We'll always have Middleton."

As a tear trickled down her cheek, she responded, "But when I said I would never leave you ..."

"And you never will. KP, I'm no good at being noble, but it doesn't take much to see that the problems of three little people don't amount to a plate of warmed-over Nacos in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that. Here's looking at you, Kim."

As he bent his head down to kiss her, the scene faded, and Ron likewise faded into a semiconscious stupor.

Deprived of sleep and under the terrific emotional pressure of the Mahlerinator, Kim similarly began to hallucinate as yet another blockbuster movie's ending began to play.

Kim found herself at a funeral, along with Ron. He slowly began, "There's something I've wanted to tell you, KP. When I was up there on top of that light pole last night and I thought I was gonna die, there was only one person I was thinking of. It was you, Kim. I kept thinking, I hope I make it through this so I can see Kim Possible's face one more time."

Kim brightened up. "Really?"

"Yeah. There's only one girl who's always been there for me, who makes me feel like I'm more than I ever thought I could be. That I'm more than just the sidekick. And that's OK. The truth is, I love you. I love you so much, Kim."

Kim hesitated before replying. "I can't."

Ron looked shocked. "You can't what?"

She quickly backpedaled, "Tell you everything. I mean, there's so much to tell."

Ron looked gloomily down at his shoes. "Yeah, there's _so_ much to tell."

Kim took a deep breath and continued, "I want you to know that I'll always be there for you, Ron. I promise you that. I'll always be your friend."

"Only a friend, Kim Possible?" He shot her the best imitation of a Puppy-Dog Pout that he could manage.

She winced, but resisted the look. "Sorry, Ron. That's all I have to give."

As Ron dejectedly turned away, she discovered that she indeed had feelings for Ron, but also found that she wasn't willing to allow those feelings to get in the way of her destiny as a world saver. She turned away as well, sadly resigning herself to her lonely fate.

"Whatever life holds in store for me, I will never forget these words: _'With great power comes great responsibility.' _This is my gift, and my curse. Who am I? I'm Kim Possible."

Overcome with with both emotion and fatigue, Kim lapsed into a fitful half-sleep.

As Kim and Ron both lingered in their torpid state, Kim's angel persona suddenly appeared. "Sob … now I'll _never_ get to go to the Junior Prom. I'll never graduate from high school, or go to college, _OR_ get married. _Waahh!_"

Her devilish counterpart soon followed, but she seemed more frustrated than depressed. "Oh, suck it up, Goody-Two-Shoes. Now I'll never get _my_ hottie, either."

Ron's angel also popped into being, sadly drooping his tiny head as he addressed Ron's restless form. "You should have at least asked Kim to the prom while you had the chance. But it's too late now. I don't think that even _my_ power of imagination can get us out of _this_ mess."

His evil avatar then materialized over his other shoulder. Like Kim's evil personification, he was little affected by the Mahlerinator, but even he realized that time was running out.

The masked devil grimly remarked, "I'm forced to agree with my sniveling counterpart here. But it serves you right for not finding an evil sidekick to help you. Even one that _doesn't_ know her place would be better than nothing!"

At that moment, _The Farewell_ concluded. A medley of the world's saddest pop tunes then began playing, accompanied by scenes from the saddest animations ever filmed.

Bambi was shown crying for his mother after the hunter's shot is heard, accompanied by Karen Carpenter's mournful _Goodbye To Love_. Snow White lay in her glass coffin as the Seven Dwarves tearfully watched over her, while Evanescence's Amy Lee crooned _My Immortal_. Simba as the young Lion King futilely tried to arouse the still form of his father, Mufasa, as _Alone Again, Naturally_ softly played in the background.

Kim gasped, "Ron! We've got ... to … resist …" But it was becoming progressively harder to fight back against the beguiling and overwhelming power of the Mahler Effect. But their intense trial had only just begun.

Even Rufus was bawling by now, as they all watched an SPCA commercial with Sarah McLachlan bemoaning the fate of abandoned pets, their deep sad eyes staring out at them while Eric Carmen sang his hit song, _All By Myself_.

Ron now reacted with anger at this intense emotional manipulation. "Oh! _Oh!_ That is just _so _sick and wrong!"

The finale to Team Possible's musical torment now arrived in the form of Wagner's moving _Love Death_ from his opera _Tristan und Isolde_. After Tristan's demise, Isolde sings an incredibly sad, and incredibly _long_ farewell to her one, true love. Kim recalled studying this particular aria in Mr. Barkin's Music History class, the one he took over from Mrs. Sangfroid after her unfortunate accident with that falling piano. Isolde wasn't just singing about Tristan's tragic passing, but bewailing that they'd be separated for all eternity as well.

Kim's voice rasped, "Cheerful guy, that Wagner."

As the 300 pound soprano continued her doleful serenade, Kim realized that the aria was drawing to a close. And with it, Team Possible's demise as well.

With hot tears streaming down his face, Ron dismally observed, "Well, as the saying goes, it's not over until the fat lady sings, KP. And when she's done, it's the last roundup for us, too!"

Rufus added his own plaintive moan in agreement.

Kim blubbered, "Oh, Ron! … _sob_ … I don't know how much more of this I can take … _choke_ … When will this sadness end?"

As Kim's despondency continued to increase, she held on to the slim hope that somehow she'd come up with a last-minute way out of their predicament. She continued to resist the overwhelming urge to give in to despair.

"Can't let Maestro win ... musn't give up ..."

She began speaking two sentences over and over to help her focus. "I'm not doing this for me, I'm doing this for the world. I'm the girl who can do _anything_..."

Gritting her teeth, she continued to repeat her mantra. But with a final flood of tears and one last sob, she finally broke.

"This ... is ... _hopeless!_ And it's all my fault … I'm so sorry, Ron!"

Kim looked up at him with her wide, sorrowful eyes, red-rimmed with her nearly non-stop crying. She began speaking what might very well be her last words on this earth.

"Ron …" she croaked.

With his last bit of strength, he whispered, "Right here, Kim."

Their eyes met and locked together, a world of feeling silently passing between them.

"Ron, I … I'll … always … love …"

But before she could complete her final desperate profession, a gigantic pop was heard, followed by a shower of sparks. The music stopped and the screen went completely blank, as they all were plunged into near total darkness.

Kim and Ron slowly began to recover from their emotional stupor. As if awakening from a terrible dream, Ron asked, "KP, what happened? Is … is that it? Is it finally over? Are we ..."

Kim also began to bounce back from her Mahlerinator-altered state of mind. She looked up above her, where a single light shone down, reflecting upon the pool of water that had collected on the floor beneath them. As the water continued seeping into the Mahlerinator, small sparks from the short-circuit flickered back at them like tiny fireflies.

Continuing to recover, Kim responded, "Yes, Ron, it's over. And no, we're not dead. It looks like Dr. Maestro failed to insulate his equipment from water … the water from our tears. It leaked under his protective coating and shorted it out."

She noticed that all the electronic equipment glistened with dampness as well.

"And all of the moisture from our sweat and breathing seems to have collected on the control panel, too, which seems to have helped as well."

Ron took in a deep breath and happily began to sing, "It Was Con-den-_saaa_-tion I Know …"

Rufus happily giggled, "_Oh, brother_ …"

Ron sniggered back, "Well, that's what Dr. Maestro gets for sealing us in here like hermits!"

Kim smiled back, "That's _hermetically_ sealed, Caruso, but close enough."

She thankfully realized that she actually _could_ smile again, especially after their harrowing sitch. But they were still tightly bound and unable to escape.

"Now we have to figure out a way to get down from here. But how?"

A thought popped into her mind, providing her with a glimmer of hope.

"The alarm disabler! It's still in my back pocket. But will it work on the release mechanism that's holding us up?"

She continued to wriggle, but was still too tightly wound in the speaker wire to work a hand free and activate the device.

Ron shrugged as he also tried again to struggle, now beginning to swing gently back and forth. "Dunno, Kim. But right now anything's worth a try."

Kim brightened up at a possible solution. "Ron, your swinging just gave me an idea."

She began by bending at her waist, slowly at first, then progressively faster. As she did so, she began to swing ever so slightly. Continuing her gentle rhythm, she swung back and forth in a progressively wider arc. The room was small enough that she would soon hit the wall behind her, and hopefully with just enough force to activate the alarm disabler.

"Almost there …"

With one final sway, she hit the wall behind her with her back pocket. The alarm disabler activated, instantly scanning for any electronic frequency in the immediate vicinity, and dampening it.

With a satisfying click, the control mechanism for their bindings switched off, dropping them all to the floor. In another few moments, they had finally extricated themselves.

Kim breathed a small sigh of relief. "Okay, now to find a way out of here."

She looked for the handle to the door, but found none. She gave the door a powerful kick, but got nothing for her efforts except a twisted foot.

"Oww! That hurt."

Ron volunteered, "Uh, Kim, didn't Maestro say he sealed the room in something unbreakable?"

Kim grimaced, "Yeah, but where there's a will, there's a way. We just have to keep trying."

Ron's face broke out in an all-knowing grin, as the perfect solution popped into his mind. "Yeah, KP. The _room_ may be unbreakable, but nothing in the _world _can resist the power of..."

He whipped a tiny foil packet out of his pocket. "Bueno Nacho Extra Hot Five-Alarm Sauce! I've been saving this for a special occasion, and I think this is it, KP."

He ripped off the end of the packet and squeezed a tiny drop of the powerful hot sauce into the door lock. With a tiny wisp of smoke, the lock dissolved and the door gently swung open.

"And _Viola!_ We're free!"

"That's _Voilà_, Ron, but thanks."

Kim grabbed her Kimmunicator from the floor and plugged its USB plug into the alarm disabler's battery port. "Now to find out exactly where we are. Hey Wade, what's the sitch?"

Wade quickly answered, worry etched on his face. "Kim! Are you okay? Where have you been? When I couldn't reach you guys, I feared the worst."

Kim assured him, "We're fine, Wade. Just ferociously depressed thanks to Dr. Maestro's Mahlerinator."

Wade looked very perplexed. "His _what-inator?_"

"Never mind, Wade, we'll explain later. Can you get a fix on us and tell us where we are?"

"No problem, Kim. But for some reason, I wasn't able to get a GPS lock on you guys until just now. I couldn't even get a fix on Ron's chip."

Kim quickly made a furious slashing motion to keep Wade from spilling about Ron's secret embedded microchip he used for tracking Ron.

Ron gave Kim a curious look. "Chip? What chip?"

Thinking fast, Wade babbled, "Yeah! Bueno Nacho's salsa and chips are so strong, I can track them on you even from several miles away!"

Ron nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that sauce is pretty wicked stuff. It just helped us burn our way out of Dr. Maestro's Gloom Room of Doom."

Wade breathed a small sigh of relief that his little subterfuge had worked. "That's great, Ron. Okay, you guys are only five blocks from Zany Ziggy's Used Car Lot. And since it's almost noon, you guys better get over to the Middleton High sports field, pronto. The competition is just about to begin, and none of the schools have been able to come up with Dr. Maestro's ransom yet. I think they're all counting on you to stop him, Kim."

Kim growled, "We're planning on it, Wade. Maestro's just tried to make us dance to his tune, but now it's our turn to make _him_ sing the blues!"

Ron wholeheartedly agreed. "Right with you, KP!"

Rufus chimed in as well with an eager "_Uh-huh! Uh-huh! Let's do it!_"

They rushed into the light of day, their trial of woe now behind them. Kim huffed, "I just hope we're not too late."

* * *

Stay tuned for next week's episode, _And The Band Played On!_

_**TBC ...**_


	11. And the Band Played On

_Thanks as always to this week's reviwers, CajunBear73, Mr. Wizard, Eddy13, Katsumara and MrDrP, and to all who are taking the time to read. And now for this week's frivolous episode, **And the Band Played On!**_

* * *

The Tri-City band competition was in full swing as the evil conductor's noon deadline approached. Dr. Maestro sat in his specially modified cerulean-colored Dodge Horizon parked just outside of Middleton High's sports field, and grinned with evil pleasure at the havoc he was about to unleash.

Opening the car door, he proceeded to the rear of his vehicle with a jaunty spring to his step, pausing just a moment to look at his personalized license plate which simply read, BEYOND. He opened the trunk of his car, which he had affectionately nicknamed Beyond, the Blue Horizon, and began activating his mobile Mahlerinator.

"Yes, I'm about to teach them all a lesson that they'll never forget. And after I hit them all with the Mahlerinator, my name will go down in history as the greatest conductor of all time! Take five, Toscanini! Step aside, Stokowski! Dr. Maestro is about to give his _downbeat of doom!_"

He broke out into Evil Laugh #34, the Cackle of Total Victory. This was a laugh of his own devising, as Señor Senior Senior had never completely developed one of his own, always having been thwarted by Kim Possible before he could perfect it.

"And now that I've defeated Kim Possible, Ron Stoppable and that pesky little naked mole rat, no one shall stop my march to ultimate world conquest! _Bwah-ha-ha-hah!_"

Humming happily to himself, he cheerfully pressed a button, and a small radar dish popped out of the roof of his car. He carefully focused it on the Upperton Marching Band, which had just formed up for their first number, the striking march from _The Raiders of the Lost Quark_, Steven Spielmann's epic sci-fi blockbuster pitting exo-archeologist Illinois Smith against evil alien grave robbers. The drum major's whistle blew, and the music began. Marching in perfect formation, the powerful rhythms and victorious melody rang out across the playing field.

"So, ignore my demands, eh? Well, let's just see how you like _these_ arpeggios!"

After a few additional control adjustments, he pushed the red button, activating the device. The hitherto majestic band immediately broke into a fit of despair and hopelessness as they were forced into playing the funeral march from Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony, solemnly proceeding to the irresistible beat of Dr. Maestro's infernal device.

Pushing the control bar up even further, Dr. Maestro laughed with fiendish glee as the band began to lose all motivation, grinding to a dismal halt. Some players broke out in tears, others simply dropped their instruments on the ground in total despondent surrender.

"Excellent! It's working perfectly! Now let's swing the mood to the _other _extreme."

The Lowerton Marching Band had formed up in the meantime, preparing for their musical number, the Pachelbel _Canon in D_. As they began the calm, easy-going number, Dr. Maestro twisted another dial and hit the red button. The band instantly began playing Khachaturian's frenetic _Saber Dance_ and began energetically running double-time down the playing field. Dr. Maestro joyfully clapped his hands together, not such much to applaud the scintillating performance as to signify his own success.

"Yes! Everyone is now marching to the beat of a different drummer. _My beat!_ _Bwah-ha-ha-hah!_ Dance, dance, my little puppets!"

Dr. Maestro delightedly made his final adjustments.

"And now for today's grand finale, let's add the Middleton High School Band, and compel the crowd into a little audience participation as well. _Heh-heh-heh_."

He pushed the Choral Control knob to its maximum setting and again hit the red button.

Without a moment's delay, all three bands broke out into the dramatic first number of Carl Orff's _Carmina Burana_, and under the overwhelming influence of the Mahlerinator, the spectators could not resist singing the powerful chorus at the top of their voices. Everyone in the bleachers and on the field was now caught up in the electrifying thrall of the Mahlerinator.

Meanwhile, Ron had recovered his moped and was rushing at top speed toward the band competition, while Kim sat behind him holding on for dear life.

With the wind whipping her hair nearly straight back, she cried out, "Ron! I know we want to bust Dr. Maestro as quickly as possible, but we can't stop him if we crash and don't make it there at all!"

Ron yelled back, "No worries, KP! We're almost there!"

As they rounded the corner to Middleton High School, Ron screeched to a halt. They stared in awe at the incredible sight of all three bands playing together, supported by a massive group of histrionically singing spectators.

"Hey, that's that cool epic choir song they always play on TV whenever something's either totally scary or totally badical, KP!"

Kim frowned, "My bet is on the totally scary, Ron. It looks like we're a little late in stopping Maestro from putting his diabolical plot into action."

"Not if I can help it. Hold on, Kim!" And with a screech of burnt rubber, he tore off toward the villain.

Ron had spotted Dr. Maestro on the far side of the parking lot, laughing with arms akimbo, his black cape flapping in the afternoon breeze. He was facing away from them, his attention now totally focused on his undoubtedly sensational handiwork. But upon hearing the powerful roar of Ron's scooter, Dr. Maestro whirled around just in time to see Team Possible bearing down on him at full throttle.

Determination was etched on Ron's face as he zoomed directly at the evil musician. "Scorching across the blacktop isn't _anything_ compared to pulling the plug on Dr. Maestro!"

But in his haste, Ron had failed to estimate the necessary braking distance. He suddenly realized he was going way too fast to safely stop.

Kim blurted out, "Ron, slow down! You're going to …"

Ron slammed on the scooter's brakes. But with the extra weight of Kim on the back, he began to wobble and swerve, finally losing control.

"Whoa-oh-ho-_HO!"_

The scooter hit the curb and flipped, sending both Kim and Ron flying through the air. The scooter smashed into the back of Dr. Maestro's car, damaging the Mahlerinator, but severely denting the scooter as well.

As she sailed by in midair, Kim deftly reached out and grabbed the transmitter dish atop Dr. Maestro's vehicle, snapping it cleanly off and slowing her velocity just enough to make a perfect landing beside the car. She tossed the now useless dish to the ground with a loud clatter, giving a carefree flip of her hair as she smiled back at the astounded Dr. Maestro.

"That move should win us the Regional cheer competition tomorrow, Maestro. Too bad you won't be around to see it."

Dr. Maestro's jaw hung open in surprise at Kim's sudden appearance. "Kim Possible! How did you escape? I thought I'd be singing an _Ave Maria_ in memory of Team Possible by now!"

Kim offered a small shrug and quipped, "Yeah, the fat lady sang all right, but did I forget to mention that nothing's impossible for a Possible? And although you may have done a number on this crowd, Maestro, the only finale _you'll_ really be conducting will be in Cell Block D!"

Suddenly a plaintive voice was heard just above them. "Uh, Kim, a little help up here, please?"

Ron was hanging upside down in a tree with his pants wrapped around his ankles, keeping him at least from falling onto his head. Rufus happily chattered away as he made his way down out of the tree.

Kim couldn't help but smile at Ron's predicament and reached up to extricate Ron from his embarrassing position. But no sooner had her attention been distracted than Dr. Maestro quickly jumped into his car. As he sped off he yelled, "You may think you've brought down the final curtain, Kim Possible, but not before a little recapitulation first!"

As Ron quickly donned his wayward pants, Kim yelled out, "Grab your scooter, Ron! There's still a chance we can catch him!"

But Ron could only look down mournfully at his crumpled moped. "Uh, KP, I think we're gonna need a new ride first."

Kim whipped out her Kimmunicator. "Wade, we've stopped Maestro from disrupting the band competition any further, but he just got away, and Ron's scooter is wrecked. We're going to need a ride, and quick!"

Chagrined at crashing his scooter, Ron could only add, "Sorry, Kim. I guess I should have listened to you and driven a little slower."

Kim merely smiled back, "No, Ron. Your typically random luck just meant that we took him by surprise and foiled his plot. Besides, I don't think he'll be getting very far. Look."

She pointed down at the trail of gasoline that had begun leaking from Dr. Maestro's punctured fuel tank.

Ron exclaimed, "Booyah! That'll bring his _allegro con brio_ down to a bon-diggety _adagio_ in no time flat!"

"And he's leaving a nice trail for us to follow as well. Now if we can only find some new wheels, pronto."

Just then, Mr. Barkin called out on his bullhorn. "_Possible! Stoppable! What in blue blazes is going on?"_

They quickly ran over to him. Ron began babbling away as he gesticulated wildly for emphasis.

"Boy, are we glad to see you, Mr. Barkin! Dr. Maestro tried to moodulate us out of existence with his Mahlerinator, but we escaped, but now my scooter's wrecked and who knows when I can get it fixed? But when my dad finds out about this, I'm _toast_, you know what I mean? Man, his insurance rates are probably going to skyrocket and I'll probably have to pull extra shifts at Smarty Mart all summer long so I can pay …"

"STOPPABLE!" Barkin screamed, his face beet red with frustration at Ron's non-stop stream of consciousness. He gave Kim a look which conveyed in a millisecond his desire to know exactly what was going on and with as short an explanation as possible.

Kim tersely replied, "Dr. Maestro. Bad guy. Getting away. We need transportation, quick."

Barkin gave a sharp nod of understanding, motioned to his car and pulled out his keys. He ordered, "Both of you get in. I'll drive."

Ron gushed, "Gee, thanks Mr. Barkin! I can't tell you how much we appreciate your help and driving us too! If you hadn't come along I don't know what we would have …"

Barkin cut him off with a fearsome look. "Stoppable, bus driver rules here. No talking to the driver or else you'll be riding _on the roof of the car!_ _CLEAR?_"

Instantly paling, Ron whimpered a tiny "Yes, sir …"

As they all got in the car, Kim directed, "Just follow the gas trail, Mr. Barkin. Once we catch up with him, we'll take care of the rest."

Mr. Barkin revved up the engine and roared off in pursuit. He muttered fiercely, "This is just like that time thirty years ago, fifteen clicks west of Quic Duc Lo. But _this_ time I'll teach that guy that _no one_ forces Lt. Barkin to sing _anything_ against his will!"

Kim wisely chose not to ask Mr. Barkin for any more details regarding that particular incident.

As they sped along, hot on Dr. Maestro's trail, Ron's mind began to wander. He was still recovering from the lingering effects of the insidious Mahlerinator, and was only just beginning to come to terms with the implications of their incredible trial.

He thought to himself, "Wow, that was really some freaky device. I can see now how Kim must have felt when she was under its control that first time."

His tiny angelic counterpart materialized over his shoulder and nodded in agreement.

"Yup. Now you can appreciate what she went through."

Ron agreed, "Yeah, I can."

His angel smiled and whispered into his ear, "So, now you have _another _chance to ask her to the prom."

Ron smiled and nodded. "Hey, you're right, I do!"

He leaned even closer to Ron's ear. "And now you know how she _really _feels about you deep down."

Ron scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, as much as I wanna believe that, I'm not sure yet if that's really true. That moodulator tech was pretty badical, and really tough to resist. Maybe it just amplified our friendship?"

His angel countered with, "Yes, but Kim was just about ready to say that she loves you!"

Ron gave a small shrug of resignation. "Yeah, under the influence of the Mahlerinator and facing our impending doom, that is. I think I can chalk that up to the stress of the moment."

The tiny figure sadly shook his head back and forth. "Ron, Ron, Ron. Don't wimp out and let this golden opportunity slip through your fingers again! Now's the moment! _Carpe Diem!_"

Now distracted by the Latin term, Ron looked off into the distance. "Yeah, what does that mean exactly? Seize the fish, or fish of the day?"

The angel just sighed and put his head in his hands as his evil counterpart chose this moment to reappear.

"It means _seize the day_, my dimwitted friend, or in this case, seize the _date_. And it's not Kim you should be asking, it's _Amelia!_ A date with her would place you right at the top of the food chain, and then we'd be within striking distance of our dear sweet Bon-Bon. She's just an evil poser, but with my brains and her snarky ambition, we could _rule the world!_"

The angel pivoted on his evil twin and growled, "Not going to happen, Zorpox!"

The devil sneered back, "And, and who's going to stop me, _you?_ Don't make me laugh, _ah-booyah-ha-hah!_ Oh, too late! Looks like you're asking for another smackdown, my puritanical prude!"

As Ron's avatars began to face off against each other, Kim's angel rematerialized over her shoulder and spoke.

"Wow, that last sitch was close."

Kim nodded in agreement.

"And you nearly spilled your real feelings for Ron, too."

Kim began to blush as she thought to herself, "But _are_ they really my feelings? Or was that just a byproduct of the Mahlerinator? I'm … I'm still confused."

Her angel smiled victoriously. "Kim, you just said 'Are they my feelings.' Not, 'I'm not sure of my feelings.' I think you just answered your own question."

Kim whined, "But Ron is just a friend …"

Her angel pleaded back, "But he could be so much more …"

Kim's devil persona quickly reappeared to act in her evil role as the spoiler.

"Yeah, he _could_ be so much more. More goofy, unfocused, and childlike, that is. Need I go on?"

The angel flared back in anger, "I warned you before to back off, Sheila. I'm not warning you again!"

Sheila mocked her counterpart with a half-hearted yawn and a contemptuous roll of her eyes. "Spare me, Miss Holier-Than-Thou. You're so not the drama."

"Oh, yeah?" The angel turned back to Kim, determined to make her see the truth. "Give him a chance, Kim!"

Sheila snarked back, "Food chain!"

"Dirty tramp!"

"Prissy wimp!"

Sheila grabbed the angel's halo and bent it painfully sideways. The angel responded by grabbing Sheila by the horns and tossing her into the car's ceiling. The argument quickly degenerated into a vicious cat fight, complete with scratching, biting and hair pulling. In the meantime, full-blown combat had also broken out between Ron's angel and Zorpox. But in the close quarters of the car, neither set of avatars had much room for maneuver. In another few moments both pairs crashed headlong into each other.

Startled by the accidental collision, Kim's angel looked up only to find Ron's angel floating right next to her. She was instantly entranced as she gazed deeply into his dark brown eyes, and he returned her stare with a self-conscious gawk of his own.

In the background, "Johnny Angel" began to play.

The angel Kim shyly whispered, "Hi."

Time seemed to stand still as the angel Ron drank in the vision of Kim's beautiful red hair and lucid green eyes.

"Uh, hi. I'm Ron."

The Kim angel swooned. "I know. And I'm … _yours_."

As the pair closed their eyes in anticipation of an impending kiss, the strains of Tchaikovsky's _Romeo and Juliet Overture_ began, soaring to romantic heights hitherto only dreamed of by Kim Possible fans. They immediately fell into a gentle embrace, while their evil counterparts both looked on with disgust. But a moment later, the villainous pair suddenly became aware of each other for the very first time. Their eyes locked, and a devilish grin broke out on both of their faces. The sultry warble of a saxophone began to play as they each checked the other out, suddenly forgetting all about any combat with their adversaries.

Sheila's tail began to twitch provocatively. "I don't think we've met," she purred.

Zorpox's grin widened into nearly a leer as he slowly looked her up and down, appreciating every curve in her tight-fitting cat suit. "Indeed. If we had, I _certainly_ would have remembered, my pretty kitty. Are you free for … lunch?"

Sheila's hooded eyes simply smoldered in response, her tail undulating with growing excitement.

She purred seductively, "Besides global conquest, what else is on the menu?"

He offered a small shrug and replied, "I've heard that it's usually a bad idea to bring up world domination on a first date, but in your case, I think I'll make an exception … ah-_booyah_-ha-hah!"

She wrapped her tail around his waist and languorously asked, "Your lair or mine, handsome?"

"Mine of course, my little catnip. Then afterward, how about some … _dessert_?"

Sheila responded with a low, throaty growl in anticipation as they both disappeared in a puff of smoke.

In the meantime, angel Kim and angel Ron gently broke away from their tender embrace.

Kim sighed happily, "Wow, Ronnie. That was _some_ kiss."

Ron began to blush, self-consciously scuffing at his gleaming white shoes. "Heh-heh, you're not so bad yourself, Kimberly."

Kim coyly suggested, "Uh, if you're not busy right now, maybe we could go for a little flight together?" She quickly added, "But only if you'd like to, that is."

Ron sheepishly pulled at his collar, which had just started to feel a bit tighter than usual. "That sounds like, uh, a real bon-diggety idea."

She giggled, "Spankin!"

And with a gentle poof, they disappeared as well.

By now, a look of total serenity had appeared on both Kim and Ron's faces. In his rear view mirror, Mr. Barkin had noticed the change as well, based on his long experience as a high school teacher. A deep frown formed on his face. He wasn't about to allow a spontaneous PDA to occur, especially in the back seat of his car.

He quickly shattered their blissful mood with a gruff announcement. "Okay, people! It looks like your villain's heading for the airport."

Startled back to reality, Kim and Ron focused on Dr. Maestro's speeding car, now directly in front of them as it careened down the exit toward the Middleton Airport. But just as the villainous conductor made it to the heliport area, his engine began to sputter as the gas tank finally ran dry.

He smiled grimly to himself. "Too late, Team Possible, I've arrived at my destination! We haven't quite reached the coda yet, and the grand finale to my plan for world domination has yet to be unveiled."

As his car rolled to a stop, he jumped out and ran toward a helicopter marked with the HenchCo logo.

Mr. Barkin roared up right behind him and screeched to a halt. Kim and Ron swiftly exited the car and dashed toward Dr. Maestro. But he had already started the helicopter and was in the process of taking off.

"You're too late, Kimberly Ann! I have another mobile Mahlerinator installed inside this helicopter, and once I reach the broadcast towers on Mt. Middleton, the wireless technology provided by HenchCo will allow me to broadcast my signal throughout the entire world: on tonight's season finale of _American Starmaker!_"

He cackled in raucous laughter. Evil Laugh #27 was a perfect choice, a taunting, derisive chortle with overtones of 'Come and get me, if you can.'

"I will flood the airwaves with the overpowering magnificence of the music of Mahler, and send the world into a state of despair from which they will never recover, without the help of course of yours truly! Then I shall step in and save the day, becoming both ruler of the world as well as having my pick of the greatest orchestras in the world to conduct! Today, cable TV: tomorrow, the world! _Bwah-ha-ha-hah!_"

She swiftly grabbed Mr. Barkin's bullhorn and shot back, "Not if I have anything to say about it, Maestro!"

Ron gasped at the sheer audacity of his plan and asked, "Can he really do that, KP?"

"I don't know, Ron, but I'm not about to give him the chance. We've got to take him down somehow."

At just that moment, Rufus appeared from out of Dr. Maestro's tuxedo pants, hiding until just the right moment to try and foil the wicked conductor's plans.

Ron spotted him right away and immediately shouted out, "Rufus! Way to go, buddy! Take him down!"

Rufus gave him a tiny thumbs up and rapidly began to run all over the helicopter's controls in an attempt to disable the chopper. But Dr. Maestro was quicker and grabbed the hapless mole rat, who let out a squeal of dismay.

"Gotcha, you little varmint!"

And without a second thought, he tossed Rufus out of the helicopter door.

Kim and Ron looked on in horror as Kim cried out, "Rufus! _No!_"

* * *

_Oh, no, it's cliffhanger time again! Is this the end of our favorite naked mole rat? Has the malevolent Dr. Maestro finally gained the upper hand over Team Possible, or will he go the way of every other one of Kim Possible's foes? Stay tuned for next week's exciting conclusion!_


	12. Finale and Coda

_Well, the fat lady has sung, but Kim hasn't yet. Which means … well, read on, gentle readers, for the answer to that little mystery. My thanks to all whom have read, and especially CajunBear73, Katsumara, EnterpriseCV-6, Eddy13, campy and Mr. Wizard for their reviews and suggestions (and even the occasional correction). And now, the exciting conclusion…_

* * *

Rufus caught the edge of the helicopter's landing skid, desperately clinging to the slender metal bar.

Kim yelled out, "Hold on, Rufus!"

He could only respond with a tiny whimper as the helicopter continued to gain both speed and altitude.

Kim pulled out her grappling hairdryer and fired at the rapidly ascending chopper. Her aim was perfect, snagging the rear of the helicopter's landing skid. She was instantly wrenched into the sky, a not so unwilling passenger now being swiftly dragged behind Dr. Maestro's whirlybird. Soon she was flying above the Middleton countryside at a dizzying height.

She hit the retract button, speedily pulling up closer to the chopper. She was now within inches of the frightened mole rat.

Kim yelled out, "Ok, Rufus, climb down to me!"

Rufus immediately obeyed, scurrying down the narrow skid to safety. He clung to Kim's shoulder in grateful relief after his very close call.

"Good boy! Now to get you back to the ground somehow."

Rufus vigorously shook his head back and forth. _"Uh-uh! Staying with you!"_

Kim nodded in appreciation at Rufus' devotion to both her and the mission, and tried to think fast. "Ok, so now what? If he can activate that Mahlerinator without landing the copter, we're _both_ so toast. And if he activates that device, all the anti-depressants in the world won't be enough to counter the Mahler Effect. Somehow, I've got to take this craft down, even if it takes me with it."

She looked down at her best friend's faithful pet, realizing that although she was willing to risk her own life, she wasn't willing to make the same decision for her devoted compatriot. "But not if it takes you with it too, little Rufus."

Rufus smiled back in thanks and urgently gestured at her Kimmunicator. Kim pulled it out and made a last ditch call to her ever-reliable computer geek.

"Wade! Need your help!"

Wade replied, "Kim, I can hardly hear you! Are you in a windstorm or something? Where are you?"

Kim yelled back, "I'm a few hundred feet over Middleton and being dragged right behind Dr. Maestro's helicopter. If I don't take him down before he reaches Mt. Middleton, he's going to broadcast a signal that'll help him take over the world! Any ideas on how we can stop him without flattening both me and Rufus in the process?"

Wade quickly tried to think of their best options. "Kim, I'll try to reach Global Justice and get them to dispatch a hover jet. It may take awhile, but that's your best bet. I'll see what I can do."

Wade hung up, and not a moment too soon. Directly ahead loomed the massive chimneys of the Middleton Power Station, and Dr. Maestro was heading right for them.

The evil doctor snickered, "This will teach her that _smoking _can be hazardous to your health!"

Kim immediately tried to swing out of the way, barely missing the first chimney.

She gasped, "That was _way_ too close. Too bad my laser lipstick is out of power, or else I could disable Maestro's chopper no problem."

Suddenly, one last desperate possibility came to mind. She again activated her Kimmunicator.

"Wade! What frequency would I need to use in order to shatter the windshield of a helicopter?"

Wade's eyebrows shot up in surprise at the unusual request. "Hard to say, Kim. It depends on the type of helicopter and the composition and thickness of the glass. The necessary resonant frequency can also vary due to temperature, wind speed, humidity, and …"

Kim yelled, "A short answer would be spankin', Wade! What's your best guess?"

"Stand by, Kim."

In the meantime, Dr. Maestro had swung around, and Kim again narrowly avoided being smashed into the next chimney.

"Now would be a good time, Wade!"

Wade swiftly reviewed Kim's transmissions showing the size and type of helicopter while simultaneously checking the Weathering Channel for local conditions. With one final keystroke, he had the answer.

Wade announced, "High C, Kim. But at your present distance from the helicopter, plus the powerful downdraft from its rotors, there's no way you can create the necessary decibels to shatter its windshield!"

Kim grinned. "Oh yeah? Have you forgotten that I'm the girl who can do anything? Be right back."

Kim shut off her Kimmunicator and pulled out the bullhorn she'd grabbed from Mr. Barkin just moments before. She was thankful now for his remedial vocal training after Mrs. Meistersinger, their high school chorus director, needed hospitalization after that unfortunate set collapse during last summer's musical review. She tried to recall the careful words of his training.

"_Remember that singing is just like yelling on pitch, Possible. If you do it correctly and with abdominal support, you won't strip your gears. That's how I can keep on screaming at you kids day in and day out without getting laryngitis…"_

Kim gritted her teeth in fierce determination. "It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be on pitch. High C, here we come!"

She snapped on the bullhorn and cut loose with the only song she could remember from heart, her last minute submission for the talent show the year before.

"_Have you heard  
That I'm all about saving your world?  
All you have to do is  
Say the word!"_

She hit the last note as high as possible and held it with as much power as she could manage, praying that it would be enough.

Her prayers were immediately answered as the helicopter's windshield suddenly shattered into a thousand pieces. Dr. Maestro howled as he threw up his hands in order to avoid the tiny shards of plexiglass. When he looked back down, he found that the helicopter's glass instrument facings had been destroyed as well. He was now flying blind, and by the seat of his still-oversized pants. Unable to maintain control of the chopper any longer, he immediately made an emergency descent toward the ground below.

Kim fired another grapple at the nearest chimney of the Middleton Power Station, swinging both herself and Rufus gracefully to the ground.

She grinned back at the crippled chopper. "Your broadcast's been pre-empted, Dr. Maestro."

The villain's out of control helicopter disappeared over the next hill, and a dull thud was heard as the craft hit the ground hard. Kim rushed to the top of the rise and spotted the downed chopper right away, but when she got to the wreckage of the craft, Dr. Maestro was nowhere to be found.

She growled in frustration. "nnnNNNGGGHHH! Where did he disappear to now?"

She flipped open her Kimmunicator. Wade anxiously asked, "What's the sitch, Kim?"

"Wade, the good news is that the chopper is down, so you can call off that GJ hover jet. The bad news is that Maestro's disappeared."

"Yeah, he's one slippery dude, Kim. But the police have just impounded his car from the airport parking lot, so we don't have to worry about him using his Mahlerinator again."

Kim exhaled quickly in relief. "That's great, Wade, unless …"

She had a sudden horrible thought. "Unless he's headed back to his lair to try and repair the first one! Wade, have Ron and Mr. Barkin meet me at Dr. Maestro's lair as soon as they can. With luck, we may still be able to catch him there."

* * *

Ron and Mr. Barkin were soon on their way back to Dr. Maestro's hideout. In a slightly discomfited state now that both of his angel and devil personas had taken off with Kim's respective counterparts, Ron sullenly moped in the front seat, alone with only his own thoughts for company. So he did the only thing he could do under the circumstances.

He hesitantly began, "Uh, Mr. Barkin?"

Barkin groaned, "What is it, Stoppable? _Another_ question about that funny look you gave me in the ninth grade?"

"No sir, something different. I, uh, sorta have this friend who'd like to ask another, er, friend to the Junior Prom. But they're both friends with each other, and one friend doesn't want to risk the friendship by being _too_ friendly, y'know? And the other friend may want to remain _just_ friends. So, what would be the friendliest way for the one friend to approach the other friend?"

Barkin only offered a long-suffering sigh in reply. "Stoppable, haven't we had another conversation like this before? I seem to remember having to change my locks not once, but twice in order you keep you out of my house!"

Just then, they pulled up to Dr. Maestro's lair. A Hyundai Sonata was parked outside, its license plate reading "Moonlight."

Mr. Barkin growled, "Yup, this must be the place."

Kim and Rufus had also just arrived and quickly ran up to them.

"Let's move, Ron! Time to bust Dr. Maestro once and for all!"

They all rushed inside and down the stairs to the room where they had been trapped only a few hours before. The door was closed, and they heard frantic movement within as Dr. Maestro madly tried to repair the Mahlerinator. Kim tried to force the door open, but Dr. Maestro had jammed it shut.

She pounded on the door. "All right, Maestro! Drop the baton and come out with your hands up!"

Ron cleverly added, "Yeah, Maestro! The gigue is up!"

Mr. Barkin winced helplessly at Ron's pun.

But from behind the barricaded door, Dr. Maestro's angry muffled voice could be heard, clearly revealing the strain of his last-ditch effort.

"Not a chance, Team Possible! I don't know how you shorted out my little toy, but I've just replaced all the fuses, and my device now can easily overpower all of you! The game is still afoot!"

Kim shouted back, "More like you're the _heel_, Maestro! And we're here to trip you up!"

"Not by the hair of my chinny-chin-chin, Kimberly Ann! This lair is impregnable to all but the most powerful explosives, and by the time you call in your reinforcements to huff and puff and blow this door down, it will be too late!"

Mr. Barkin joined in as they made one last-ditch effort to force the door open, but they were again unsuccessful. And as Dr. Maestro had built his lair with no external air ducts, there was only one way in or out. She looked anxiously over at Ron.

"If what he's saying is true, we're still in ferociously big trouble. This could actually be so the drama."

But just as she reached for her Kimmunicator to sound the alarm to Wade, Rufus jumped off of Kim's shoulder, chattering away as he quickly squeezed through the tiny lock. All of a sudden, a huge commotion was heard as Dr. Maestro vainly tried to catch the scurrying naked mole rat.

"Hey! What are you doing! Get off of there! Don't touch that! No, don't push that button! Arghhh! _Noooo!_"

From behind the door, the muffled sound of a song began: a song more mind-numbing, more soul-sucking than anything else that has ever been written before or since. He immediately fell under the powerful sway of the Mahlerinator, and ironically, as he had designed his device with no off-button, he was now powerless to stop it.

"_It's a world of laughter, a world or tears  
It's a world of hopes, it's a world of fear  
There's so much that we share  
that its time we're aware  
It's a small world after all …"_

Rufus reappeared through the lock, grinning from ear to tiny ear. Dr. Maestro's horrified screams could be heard from behind the door as the song repeated over and over.

Rufus giggled, _"Continuous loop!"_

Ron beamed, "Why, you little scamp!"

Kim smiled in relief as well. "Way to go, Rufus! That serves him right for trying to toss you out of that helicopter."

Kim flipped open her Kimmunicator. "Wade, we've finally cornered Dr. Maestro, and I have a strong feeling that his next gig will be performed from Cell Block D. But we're going to need the Middleton Fire Department and their Jaws of Life to extract him from his lair."

Wade responded with a relieved look as he responded, "My pleasure, Kim."

He continued with a snigger, "And congratulations on _orchestrating _his capture. This is one jailbird we'll all be happy to hear singing from behind bars."

Ron looked over at Mr. Barkin with a confused look. "Now, when Wade said bars, did he mean in jail, or did he mean measures? Or maybe he's going to sing in back of a local pub?"

With an increasingly irritated look, Barkin's voice rose in warning_. "Stoppable …!" _

An hour later, the door to Dr. Maestro's lair was finally pried open, and the dazed and incoherently babbling villain was easily taken into custody and strapped onto a gurney for transport.

The policeman turned to Kim with a look of thanks. "Good work, Miss Possible. You've done it again. We're in your debt."

Kim smiled and gave a small shrug. "No big, Officer Hobble. It's what I do. But I couldn't have done it without the help of both Ron and Rufus here. They're my closest friends, and they _always_ have my back."

Her smile widened as she said, "You guys _both_ totally rock."

Ron grinned, "And that goes for classical, pop, and rap, too, KP!"

Ron and Rufus immediately gave each other a high-five, then broke into an air guitar duet in happy celebration.

Still in a dazed trance, Dr. Maestro barely noticed the joyful hoopla, but he did have one last fleeting thought as he was being wheeled away. He recalled his last conversation with another particular doctor of villainous reputation, and his final words of caution.

"You can try all you want, but I'm just warning you that no matter what you do, your plan is doomed to ultimate failure. I should know, after all the times I've attempted to defeat her. No matter how foolproof my plan, she and that sidekick of hers have always succeeded in foiling every one of my plots. I'll never give up trying, but I've finally concluded that, _nnghh_, well, maybe she really IS _all that_ …"

Dr. Maestro then lapsed into a merciful state of unconsciousness, and while that ubiquitous melody continued to reverberate throughout the dark recesses of his numbed mind, Dr. Drakken's last words echoed as well.

"… maybe she really IS _all that_ …"

* * *

The band competition was quickly rescheduled for the next day, to be immediately followed by the regional cheer competition. Now unhampered by the insidious influence of the Mahler Effect, Middleton High won both events hands down, and Kim happily mounted the stage to accept the first prize trophy for the cheer squad. Even so, Bonnie was in a foul mood.

As Kim descended from the platform, she queried, "Hey, Bonnie. Why the sour expression? We just totally blew away our competition! We won!"

Bonnie snarked back, "Of course we did, thanks to me, _K!_ But Brick and I just broke up, so I'm really not in any mood to celebrate. Now I have to find someone high enough on the food chain to go to the prom with, and the pickings are getting pretty slim."

Kim folded her arms and tsked, "What, _again_, Bonnie? That's the third time in as many weeks that you've been Splitsville with the Brickster." She smugly added, "And a few of the girls have already started calling you _Yo-Yo Bon-Bon_."

Bonnie immediately blushed at the comment, growling "Losers!" under her breath. But always ready to prove the adage that misery loves company, she shot back, "Oh, and by the way, just who are _you_ going to the prom with, Kim?"

With a trace of a smile, Kim shrugged dismissively, "Haven't decided yet. It's so not the drama with me like it is for _you_, B."

A wicked smile pulled at the sides of Bonnie's mouth. "Well, you better hurry, or you'll end up being stuck with that loser, Stoppable. Just try and keep his gorchy mouth foam away from my prom dress, all right?"

Pleased with her parting shot, Bonnie turned with a huff and walked away, leaving Kim in an introspective mood. Her smile now gone, Bonnie's words began to sink in. Anger began to rise in her as she realized that Bonnie, as usual, had really gotten under her skin.

Kim tried to calm herself with a few deep breaths. She realized Ron wasn't perfect, but he was by no means a loser either. He had stuck by her through thick and thin all these years, and had even just saved her life. She was quick to realize however that much had just happened in a very short space of time, and the emotional roller coaster she'd just been on would take awhile for her to sort out. But any feelings for Ron beyond just friendship were still a big question mark in her mind.

Kim knew that she would need to talk this over with someone very soon, as her avatars had been strangely missing, not having bothered her for well over a day now. Maybe she could confide in Monique. She'd never steered her wrong before.

"But what am I really feeling? Between Dr. Bortel's Moodulator and Dr. Maestro's ferociously sick and wrong Mahlerinator, I'm not sure how far I can trust my feelings right now."

She sighed heavily and decided, "Well, I guess I'll have to figure this ish out later. Right now, there's work to be done, and I can't afford to be distracted by my own feelings, whatever they are."

She promised herself that she'd spend some time trying to sort all this out soon. But just not right now.

"Evil never takes a holiday, and until then, it's back to work. The world's counting on me, and I can't let them down. I've got their back."

But a still, small angelic voice in the back of her mind echoed back, "Just don't forget _Ron's_ back. He's got yours."

She tried to shrug off the thought just as she walked through her front door. As she walked up to her room, her Kimmunicator suddenly beeped.

"Sitch me, Wade."

"Kim! Drakken and Shego have just broken out of prison. And get this, they're headed for Tokyo!"

Pleased to be distracted by this new threat, she ordered, "Then you better find a ride for us, quick, Wade."

Just then she heard a yell from downstairs. Mr. Dr. Possible had just witnessed a tow truck pulling into their driveway with his now wheeless vehicle.

"Kimberly Ann Possible! What happened to my car, young lady?"

"Oops." She suddenly realized that she hadn't explained that sitch with the Embarrassment Ninjas.

"Uh, gotta go, Wade …"

* * *

After arranging a ride, Wade immediately called Ron to give him the heads-up on their new mission.

Ron scoffed, "Drakken and Shego heading for Tokyo? Maybe they're just off on a vacation."

Wade drolly replied, "After just breaking out of jail?"

"Oh, yeah. Heh. There _is_ that. Oh, and can you have our ride pick me up here instead of at Kim's? My scooter's pretty banged up."

Wade agreed, "Yeah, I saw. But it could have been worse. At least it looks like the damage to your moped was fairly evenly distributed."

He snorted in laughter. "I can tell, because the front is as good as the Bach!"

Ron frowned. "That's right, Wade. Just mock my loss."

He offered, "No big, Ron. Maybe the Tweebs can do something with it. If not, there's always Zany Ziggy."

"Yeah, I guess." Ron took a deep breath before changing the subject to one even more close to home. "Hey, uh, do you know if, uh, Kim is going to the prom with anyone?"

Wade sensed what was on Ron's mind and grinned slyly.

"Dunno. Who's asking?"

Ron self-consciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, let's say that the sidekick of a particular world-saving-heroine might be, uh, interested in finding out.

Wade chuckled, "Yeah, I remember you two lip-smacking not that long ago."

Ron sighed heavily. "Yeah, but that was because of that Moodulator."

Wade replied with a sparkle in his eye. "That's true, but after this sitch with Dr. Maestro, I've been studying Dr. Bortel's specs for that. I found that while it can drastically change and amplify your moods, it can't create something that's not already there."

Ron's eyes widened. "So, when Kim was crushing on me, those really were her feelings deep down?"

"That's right, Ron. But after having her moods monkeyed with like that …"

Ron grimaced. "Uh, can you please not use that term, por favor?"

"Sorry Ron. Forgot about your monkey issues. But the answer is no, she's not going to the prom with anybody, at least not yet."

"Thanks, Wade." As Ron hung up, he had finally come to a firm decision, but putting it into action would be a bit harder.

He stated out loud, "I, Ron Stoppable, will ask Kim Possible to the Junior Prom."

He looked down at his faithful pet for confirmation. No, much more than a pet. A faithful friend as well. Rufus smiled and nodded in approval.

"Okay, good buddy, as soon as Kim calls again, I'll pop the question."

Rufus beamed even wider and shook his head vigorously. "_Uh-huh! Uh-huh!"_

At that very moment, the phone rang. Ron instantly went into panic mode.

"What if that's Kim? I'm not ready yet!"

He picked up the phone. It was Kim.

"Ron! Drakken and Shego have just broken out of Cell Block D and are headed for Tokyo. Stand by for a ride arranged by Wade. We'll leave asap."

Ron replied, "No problemo, KP. Wade just called. I'll be ready."

Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead, and his throat suddenly became as dry as the Sahara Desert.

"Oh, and, uh, er …"

As Ron began to waffle, Rufus tugged at his sleeve and began chattering away.

Encouraged, Ron took a deep breath. "By the way, Kim, can I ask you something?"

Kim cut him off, "Sorry, Ron, but can it wait? I have to get ready, and we both know that evil never takes a holiday."

His resolution temporarily deflated, he mumbled, "Sure, Kim. Not really important right now." He sadly hung up to await Wade's transport.

He looked down at an equally sad Rufus. "But I will ask her, Rufus mah man. I just have to wait for the right moment."

Rufus moaned softly and shook his tiny head back and forth. He thought to himself_, "This is going to take a lot longer than I thought."_

The doorbell rang, and Ron could hear his mother talking to his ride.

"Ronnie? Your ride is here! Good luck on your mission!"

Ron looked down at Rufus with a bit more resolve. "Showtime, little buddy. Time to go. And I'll ask her as soon as I get a chance, I promise."

With Rufus now happily perched on his shoulder, Ron strode down the stairs and out the door, looking forward to their next adventure. Happy to be part of the team, he was deeply thankful to have Kim Possible as his close friend and crime-fighting partner.

And maybe even a little more in the very near future, but that of course is another story…

_**Finis**_

* * *

_A/N: Well, it's been a fun ride, and my own alter-ego is now safely locked up in Cell Block D. But perhaps I'll let him out for a little while in a future fanfic. There are just so many musical puns out there, and the poor Doctor really does need a sidekick … And for those who'd like to see more of Kim and Ron's angelic and devilicious avatars, stay tuned for my parody on Mozart's operatic farce Cosi fan tutte, or, "Angels Are Like That."_


End file.
